Skin cancers
Basal cell and squamous cell cancers
Call for an appointmentDuke dermatologists perform comprehensive skin screenings to detect skin cancer, including basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma, and use the most effective methods to treat skin cancer promptly. Our advanced training, and seamless coordination with experts throughout Duke, ensures you receive the best possible treatment, whether your skin cancer is contained to a small area, or has advanced and requires specialized care. We do everything possible to cure your skin cancer and help you maintain cancer-free skin.
Experienced skin cancer care
Routine skin cancer screening identifies this common cancer early, and prompt treatment can cure it quickly. Knowing which type of cancer cell causes your skin cancer is important as well. Basal and squamous cancer cells, often referred to as non-melanoma skin cancers, are the most common form of skin cancer, and usually result from too much sun exposure. While they need to be removed completely, they are treated differently than the more aggressive melanoma.
Our dermatologists detect and remove all skin cancers, and work closely with cancer specialists when melanoma is diagnosed. Our goal is to provide the best care possible for your skin cancer to achieve the best results.
Choose Duke for your skin cancer treatment because we offer:
- Expertise in advanced skin cancers. While it’s rare for basal cell and squamous cell cancers to spread, it can happen. In addition, these cancers often grow locally and can damage structures on the face including the nose and ears. Treating them effectively is crucial to ensuring the best possible outcome. We choose the best medical or surgical treatment to treat early and advanced skin cancers to ensure you receive the most effective care for your condition.
- A team approach to care. In addition to dermatologists, your team may include medical, surgical and radiation oncologists, otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat doctors), dermatopathologists (specialists who look at skin diseases at a cellular level), plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and radiologists, when their expertise is needed to develop the most effective treatment plan for you.
- Expertise in head and neck skin cancer. Our experienced ear, nose and throat surgeons are specially trained in removing skin cancers that involve the head and neck. Their expertise working exclusively on the head and neck increases the likelihood that you will experience positive outcomes for these complicated procedures.
- Support to you and your family. Our comprehensive support services range from helping patients minimize the side effects of cancer treatment to coping with the emotional and psychological effects of diagnosis and treatment. View all of our cancer support groups in our event calendar.
- PATIENT STORY
After skin cancer surgery, careful reconstruction around eyes and nose"I’m pleased that I was sent to Duke for this surgery,” said Elizabeth Ann Badgett. “Dr. Woodward did a great job. I am happy with the results.."
SKIN CANCERS
Treatments
Your doctor will develop a treatment plan for your skin cancer based on location, how deeply it has penetrated the surface of your skin, and whether it has spread. Treatment options for basal and squamous cancers include:
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Suspicious areas on the skin that may be related to sun-damage (sometimes referred to as actinic keratosis), and very superficial cancer growths on the top layer of your skin may be treated with:
- Cryosurgery. Liquid nitrogen spray freezes the suspicious area. A blister may form and fall off. New skin grows in its place.
- Topical chemotherapy cream. Multiple applications of cream to the suspicious area destroys superficial cancer cells over time.
- Photodynamic therapy. A liquid drug is applied to the affected area, which makes it sensitive to light. After an extended period of time, the area is targeted by a special light source, which removes the suspicious lesion.
- Laser surgery. A laser beam destroys the suspicious area and surrounding skin.
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A knife-like instrument, called a curette, is used to scrape away the layers of small cancerous lesions. An electric needle is then used to cauterize the wound, which stops bleeding, seals the area, and destroys any remaining cancer cells.
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Critical to the treatment of high risk skin cancer, especially on the heck and neck. Layers of basal cell or squamous cell cancers are surgically removed and examined under a microscope to ensure no cancerous cells remain.
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When skin cancer spreads to other areas of the body or hasn’t responded to other treatments, vismodegib may be prescribed to block proteins in genes that tell cancer cells to grow. Vismodegib was recently approved by the FDA, and is only prescribed by dermatologists, like ours, who have expertise with this medication.
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X-rays destroy cancer cells or shrink tumors. May be used in very select patients or to treat advanced basal cell cancers.
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A skin graft from another part of your body is used to cover wounds after total removal of skin cancer. The grafting and reconstructive surgery promotes healing, restores the skin’s appearance and function, and minimizes the long-term impact of skin cancer surgery.
SKIN CANCERS
Tests
Our dermatologists use the latest technologies to identify pre-cancerous moles and detect all types of skin cancer. Screening and diagnostic tests include:
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Skin cancers are typically first identified during a physical exam, and the site may be examined more closely using a high-powered microscope called a dermatoscope.
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If you have several moles on your body, or a family history of skin cancer, our dermatologists may use mole-mapping technology to take sequential photographs of your body from multiple angles. The photographs allow your dermatologist to track changes in your skin and evaluate your skin cancer risk over time.
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If skin cancer is suspected, a sample of tissue will be removed and examined for the presence of cancer. The type of biopsy you undergo will be determined by how deep into your skin your physician believes the basal or squamous cells have penetrated. A shave biopsy takes less skin, while a punch biopsy removes a deeper portion of skin.