Hossein Yavari
University of Miami, USA
Title: Mohs Micrographic Surgery: Why is the gold standard for non-melanoma skin cancers?
Biography
Biography: Hossein Yavari
Abstract
The new and dramatic fi ndings on the treatment of life-threatening skin cancers like high stage melanoma, such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies, have changed the physicians’ approach and peoples’ life over past several years. Fortunately, melanoma is not the most common skin cancer while non-melanoma skin cancers, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma as most common skin cancers are in rise. Now, Mohs surgery is the gold standard for successfully treating many types of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), specially the ones are located in critical areas of skin like periorbital, nasal, perioral and lips, auricular, scalp, genital, toes and fi ngers. If a type of BCC or SCC is big, growing aggressively and becoming a large lesion, has indistinct border or recurred aft er a previous surgery, Mohs would be the gold standard. Th e most important reason why Mohs is becoming the gold standard for BCC and SCC is because of low recurrence rate which is usually less than 6 percent for SCC and less than 1 percent for BCC. Th is a great news for all people with these common skin cancers. Th e second reason is that in Mohs we can save the highest part of normal tissue without damaging the surroundings while in traditional excisions either we leave a part of cancer behind or we remove a part of healthy tissue that leads to functionally and cosmetically undesirable results. Cure rates for Mohs is above 98 percent if the lesion is primary, and around 95 percent for recurrent lesions removed incompletely by traditional surgeries. In Mohs surgery the histopathology investigation is done right aft er removal and while patient still is in the clinic for further steps. Combination of high cure rate, less damage to normal skin and better cosmetic and functional result, brings the Mohs on top of all old surgical procedure and the fi rst line treatment for many types of non-melanoma skin cancers across the world.
Recent Publications :
1. Clinical characteristics of progressive vitiligo, Iranian Journal of Dermatology, Vol. 10, No. 40, 2007
2. Scleredema Adultorum Of Buschke, A Case with Multiple Causes, Th e Internet Journal of Dermatology, Volume 4 Number 2
3. Real life management of chronic urticaria, Dermatol Th er. 2018 Dec 5:e12796. doi: 10.1111/dth.12796