Skin Cancer Treatment at Treasure Coast Dermatology

Treasure Coast Dermatology Toll Free 877.870.3376 Serving Martin County, St. Lucie County, Indian River COunty and Okeechobee County

Malignant Melanoma

In the United States the incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing at an alarming pace. For people born in 1930, the risk of developing malignant melanoma at some point in their lives was then one in 1500. A baby born today has a lifetime risk of one in 87.

The death rate for malignant melanoma has also increased dramatically, doubling over the last 35 years. In contrast, in Queensland, Australia, where the first comprehensive education program on malignant melanoma was established for the medical profession and for the public, the death rate for this disease has begun to decrease. This decline in the death rate is especially impressive since the number of cases of malignant melanoma in Queensland, a very sunny part of the world, has continued to rise.

It is now possible to predict with considerable accuracy which malignant melanomas are curable and which are not. Thickness of the tumor is a key factor. Malignant melanomas that are removed when they are less than 3/4 of a millimeter in thickness are cured in virtually all cases, as long-term follow-up has repeatedly confirmed. However, progressively thicker malignant melanomas have correspondingly poorer prognoses.

Given these facts, it is essential that members of the medical profession, the allied health fields, and the public at large be able to recognize early (thin) malignant melanomas, which can be so successfully treated. The dermatologists at Treasure Coast Dermatology are trained in recognizing and treating these types of skin cancers.

Warning Signs of Malignant Melanoma

Any one or more of these changes occurring in a new or existing pigmented (tan,brown) area of the skin, or in a mole, may indicate the presence of a malignant melanoma:

* Change in consistency: especially softening or hardening.
Who’s at risk?

In general, the risk of developing malignant melanoma increases as people grow older. In addition, individuals living in the Sun Belt (i.e., closer to the equator) are at greater risk. Caucasians are affected ten more times more often than Blacks.

Beyond these general considerations, several specific factors identify individuals prone to develop this tumor. People at high risk are those who have:

* Considerable outdoor exposure, especially while living in sunny regions

Skin Cancer: the Disease

Here at Treasure Coast Dermatology, patients will benefit from the most up-to-date knowledge available as well as state-of-the-art technology. Drs Sanders and Ioannides perform Mohs Micrographic Surgery, the most advanced method for treating - and beating - skin cancer. In fact, studies show the success rate of Mohs surgery to be between 97 and 99.8 percent in patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.

Mohs surgery succeeds
where others have failed

"This procedure has the highest surgical cure rate for both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma,"

The Mohs technique involves removing successive layers of tissue and immediately examining them with a microscope to determine at what point all signs of cancer have been excised.

The entire procedure may take a few hours to complete, but actual surgical time is much less. Most of the time is spent in careful preparation and scrutiny of the excised tissue.

"If cancer cells are still evident in a layer of tissue, another thin layer is excised during the same procedure," explains Dr. Sanders. "The process is repeated until all the cancer cells are removed, preserving as much healthy tissue as possible around the site of the lesion."

Mohs Procedure allows for preservation of healthy tissue

Because skin cancer surgery must be performed in such a way as to leave the patient with the most cosmetically pleasing result possible, the surgeons at Treasure Coast Dermatology are trained in Mohs micrographic surgery, a special technique for select skin cancer patients.

"Mohs surgery is a highly specialized technique for precise, minimally invasive surgical treatment of skin cancer," explains Dr. Ioannides.

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