Preparation / Typical Procedure
Depending on physician preference and after careful weighing of risks and benefits, patients on blood-thinning medications may or may not be asked to discontinue these 1–2 weeks prior to the procedure. In most cases, however, patients may safely continue their blood-thinning medications.
During the procedure, the area is cleaned and prepared for surgery. A needle is used to inject anesthetic into the skin in order to numb the area. A scalpel is used to remove the areas affected with skin cancer plus a very small margin of normal-appearing skin. Each piece that is removed is frozen and then cut into small sections (known as a frozen section), which then allows for microscopic examination done at the time of the surgery. This entire process is called a stage.
If the margins are clear of tumor, the wound is closed. If tumor remains on any one of the frozen sections, it is re-excised, guided by precise mapping techniques that allow for exact localization of the remaining tumor. This is repeated until no more cancer remains. Because one or more stages may be necessary to completely remove the skin cancer, it is a more time-consuming technique compared to a regular surgical excision.
Expected Results
