Mohs surgery, or Mohs micrographic surgery, is the most effective treatment for certain types of skin cancer. It is a surgical method in which skin cancer is progressively removed in stages. After each stage, 100% of the excision margin is examined under the microscope by your dermatologist and Mohs surgeon for remaining cancer cells. This progress is repeated on the same day until all cancer has been removed.
As with all our standard surgical excisions at KM Surgical & Dermatology Associates, Mohs surgery is performed under local anaesthetic.
The main differences between Mohs surgery and standard surgical excision are threefold:
- In standard surgical excisions the result takes several days to come back, while the result is available after less than two hours in Mohs surgery. This allows further surgery to be performed on the same day until all cancer is removed.
- In standard surgical excision cross-sections are created through the tissue which means that less than 1% of the margin is examined; in Mohs surgery 100% of the excision margin is examined which is much more precise.
- In standard surgical excision the wound is closed immediately, either by simple side to side closure or with more advanced techniques such as a skin flap or skin graft. This means that skin needs to be moved which makes it difficult to know where to remove more tissue in case of incomplete removal. In Mohs surgery the area is carefully mapped, allowing for precise localisation of any residual cancer which can then be removed immediately and precisely.
Mohs surgery is internationally accepted as the treatment of choice for high risk basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. It yields lowest recurrence rates, maximises preservation of healthy tissue and therefore leads to smaller surgical wounds and improved cosmetic outcomes when compared with standard excision. As Mohs reduces the chance of future large surgeries for recurrent tumours, it has also been shown to be a cost-effective procedure.