Skin Cancer

The surgeons at North Orlando Surgical Group have a combined total of 45 years of experience offering surgical services to the community. We pride ourselves on providing the least invasive, innovative surgical techniques in an environment focused on quality care and exemplary customer service. Our physicians have performed thousands of hernia repairs with a very low complication rate. We recognize that surgery is a frightening proposition and we pride ourselves in assuring confidence in our abilities while getting you through the process with caring and compassion.

Skin cancer is a condition requiring surgical treatment. There are several types of skin cancer; basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. If a lesion appears concerning you will undergo a biopsy. Once a skin cancer has been identified you will be referred to a surgeon to discuss having an excision, or a surgical removal.

The warning signs of skin cancer are:

• A lesion that is irregularly bordered, or has jagged edges
• A lesion that is irregularly colored, or has dark spots in it
• Large lesions
• A lesion that has changed or grown
• A lesion that is asymmetrical, or different from one side to the other

All skin cancers require surgical removal. Our doctors have years of experience in excision of skin cancers and take great care to not only remove the entire cancer but leave a cosmetically pleasing result. You will have the opportunity to discuss with your doctor the type of cancer you have as well as the best method to remove it.

Some lesions are small and easy to remove in our office. You will be brought to the procedure room where you will be given local numbing medication to keep you comfortable. The lesion will be removed and sent to pathology to ensure it has been removed entirely. The incision will then be closed with sutures that are under the skin and do no need to be removed. You will be given an appointment to return in about one week for pathology results. In the case of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, if the margins of your cancer are negative you will not need any further treatment.

Melanoma is a more aggressive type of skin cancer. Most melanomas are removed in the operating room, where an anesthesiologist can provide sedation along with local numbing medication to ensure you remain comfortable throughout the procedure. At the same setting as the excision most patients will have a lymph node biopsied to determine if the cancer has spread beyond the skin lesion. A combination of nuclear medicine and dye are injected into the tissues surrounding the lesion so the doctor can use a special device to locate the sentinel node, or the lymph node that first drains that area. By doing so they can be sure that the lymph node they biopsy is the one most likely to show spread if it has occurred. Both the lymph node and the skin cancer will be sent to the pathologist and you will follow up in our office about one week later for results. If there is no lymph node involvement and the surgical margins are negative you may not need any further treatment. If they are not then you may be referred to be evaluated by an oncologist to discuss what further treatment might benefit you.

Here at North Orlando Surgical Group you can expect to receive the benefit of our years of surgical experience coupled with our concern about your cosmetic outcome. Call today to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors.