What is the treatment and outlook for skin cancer?
All three main types of skin cancer - BCC, SCC and melanoma - are curable if they are detected at an early stage. A small minor operation or other method to remove the affected area of skin is all that is required in early cases.
For non-melanoma skin cancers the overall cure rate is over 95%, even for ones which have been present a while. However, the larger they grow, the more difficult they are to treat. More extensive surgery or other localised treatments may be needed if they grow large or deep before they are treated.
For melanomas, the risk of spread to other parts of the body is high. This is why urgent early treatment is needed. If it has already spread to other areas of the body then there is less chance of a cure. Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy are used for melanomas which have spread.
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Where to next?
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Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)
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How can I protect skin from the sun?
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How is melanoma assessed and staged
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Melanoma (Malignant Melanoma)
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Staging of melanoma
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Sun and health
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Sun and Health: More help
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Sun and Health: Some things that you might not realise
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Understanding the skin
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What are cancer, skin cancer and tumours?
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What are the possible problems from the sun?
