Mohs Surgery
Mohs microscopically controlled surgery is an office procedure that is used to treat basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer on the head and neck, large or recurrent cancers elsewhere on the body, and is especially indicated for recurrent skin cancers and where optimal cosmesis is a concern. At Yale, it is not used to treat melanoma.
The Mohs technique consists of the sequential removal of thin layers of the tumor, followed by careful mapping and biopsy analysis. Additional skin cancer is removed in a tissue-preserving fashion, based on the finding of residual skin cancer. Following complete removal of the skin cancer, plastic reconstruction, if needed, is performed in the office setting at the same time as the Mohs surgery.
In the Dermatologic Surgery practice, the process usually takes no more than several hours and the patient waits in a comfortable lounge area while the tissue is being processed and analyzed.
The Mohs technique has been shown to provide the highest cure rate and the most conservative amount of tissue loss, permitting immediate reconstruction for the convenience of the patient. For these reasons, it is now considered the standard approach for a variety of skin cancer types.
Mohs surgery and reconstruction has been performed at Yale since 1988, and over 18,000 patients have been treated.
|
Book, Samuel Ephraim, MD | Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology | (203) 785-3466 Appts
(203) 785-5256 Fax |
|
Leffell, David J., MD | David P. Smith Professor of Dermatology and Professor of Surgery (Otolaryngology and Plastic); Deputy Dean for Clinical Affairs, Yale School of Medicine; Section Chief, Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology | (203) 785-3466 Appts
(203) 785-5256 Fax |
