The Duke Cancer Institute brings together experts in the full range of medical and surgical specialties to provide leading-edge diagnosis and treatment for patients with basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, melanomas, and other skin cancers.

Patients are seen by an experienced team that includes dermatologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists. These specialists work together to assess each patient’s individual situation and recommend the most effective course of treatment from a full spectrum of options.

Regardless of the type of skin cancer all patients treated at the Duke Cancer Institute benefit from regular surveillance appointments with a Duke dermatologist to check for new lesions.

Comprehensive Treatment for Skin Cancers

Skin cancer can be treated effectively by a variety of methods, including traditional surgery, plastic surgery, medical therapies, desiccation and curettage, freezing (cryosurgery), radiation therapy, and Mohs (microscopically controlled) surgery.

The treatment of each skin cancer must be individualized, taking into consideration such factors as the patient’s age, location of the cancer, type and stage of cancer, and whether the cancer has been previously treated.

From early-stage detection and treatment to conventional and experimental surgical, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment for advanced disease, our team of highly experienced physicians and surgeons can provide an array of treatment options available nowhere else.

For advanced cases of melanoma and skin cancers that have spread to other organs or are inoperable, we offer a number novel therapies -- many developed here in the laboratories and clinics at Duke -- that are available at only a small number of medical centers worldwide.

As part of a leading academic medical center, the Duke Cancer Institute offers patients access to a wide range of clinical trials testing the very latest therapies. Duke leads dozens of basic and clinical investigations to discover better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat melanomas as well as basal and squamous cell carcinomas.

Primary Referral Center

Duke is one of the primary referral centers in the Southeast for melanoma care -- our melanoma clinic has been rated by the National Cancer Institute as one of the leading specialty clinics in the United States.

Approximately 500 new melanoma patients from across the country come to Duke for treatment each year.

Appointments

Learn how to make an appointment at the Duke Cancer Institute.