Exporters in the matter have ensured that the Mohs surgery is very accurate and effective in treating skin cancer. In fact, its cure rate is close to 100% for primary skin tumors.
With Mohs Surgery, the 3 objectives that a surgeon has when intervening in an oncological problem with so many repercussions for the patient’s image can be fulfilled in the best way. In this sense, remove the tumor, preserve maximum functionality and achieve the most aesthetic result possible.
This is what Dr. Pedro Jaén affirms in an interview with Infosalus. He is the head of the Dermatology service at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid; and president of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV). All this on the occasion of the presentation of his latest book ‘A skin for a lifetime’ (Espasa) in which he addresses this issue.
«The advantages of this surgical treatment derive from the fact that it is carried out by extracting the tumor layer by layer until it is completely eliminated and that the verification of whether the tissue is cancer-free is done in the same surgical act, which it allows immediate therapeutic decisions to be made, “he says.
The ‘Most Precise’ Skin Cancer Surgery
The also founder and director of the Pedro Jaén Group, a healthcare group for dermatological care, thus explains that it is the “most precise” skin cancer surgery. And, as the patient is operated on, the extent of the cancer is controlled microscopically. In this way it is also possible to respect healthy tissue, and very safely remove what is diseased.
In his opinion, it is the “best surgery” for skin cancer and he says that in Spain we have been “one of the most advantageous” when it comes to developing it. In this sense, he points out that we are “world leaders” in this type of surgery. «In 1995 it began to be carried out in a few public and private centers, the same in less than ten, and now practically in a large part of Spanish hospitals. It is not the same in all parts of the national territory, but in all it is done with an acceptable level.
Normally, it points out that Mohs Surgery is performed in squamous cell carcinomas, dematofibrosarcomas, as well as basal cell carcinoma, the most common dermatological neoplasm, and especially in those cases in which it is located on the face. This is a technique that allows them to be “very tight and to remove little healthy tissue, so that the surgery is not very deforming.”
“The extraordinary precision of Mohs Surgery”
In turn, Dr. Jaén points out that in other skin cancer operations, work is done by removing the visible tumor and part of the tissue that surrounds it, keeping a safety margin that is established “blindly.” “If this margin is insufficient and in subsequent reviews it is observed that residual cancer cells remain, it is necessary to carry out new interventions to expand it, which forces us to go through the operating room again to remove as much tissue as if we had. removed everything from the first moment.
On the other hand, it maintains that the fact of extracting more tissue than necessary, as happens with normal surgeries, compromises later functionality and aesthetics to a greater extent, since if skin is missing in an area where there is usually no excess, It is possible that certain movements (blinking, gestures with the mouth, chewing, speaking…) are limited or that the appearance of the patient suffers a damage that is more difficult to solve later.
«The extraordinary precision of Mohs Surgery allows to preserve as much healthy tissue as possible. This reduces the number of reconstructive surgeries or if they are necessary. These are less aggressive interventions with a better prognosis; since we have more tissue to work with, “he adds.
“Great advantages” of this surgery
In his opinion, another of the “great advantages” of this surgical technique is that it allows the removal of all types of skin tumors. These range from basal cell (the most frequent within those that affect the skin); going through squamous cell, adnexal and other less frequent types of cancer, to melanoma, the skin cancer that most worries specialists, because it can become fatal if not treated in time.
Another point in favor of Mohs Surgery is that long-term results statistics indicate that this procedure achieves “the best cure rates” in patients with the worst prognosis. That is, in those cases that have a higher probability of recurrence if treated by conventional surgical techniques. “This is because these tumors often have ramifications that are not seen clinically; but they can be detected when the micrographic control is carried out in the operating room “, he adds.
In turn, he highlights that this technique has improved in the last 10 years. Regarding the precision of the microscopes that are used to evaluate the tissue during the intervention, multiplying, even more, its benefits for the patient. «Mohs Surgery is complemented by other techniques such as the use of kinesiotaping dressings. All this to accelerate the drainage process, which results in a faster reduction of inflammation. This is a factor that influences patient satisfaction, who faces treatment with greater optimism, “he adds.
