Upstate Medical University is offering Mohs Micrographic
Surgery, an advanced skin cancer treatment that gives the highest possible
cure rate for many skin cancers while minimizing damage to normal tissue.
The surgery is primarily used to remove the two most common forms of skin
cancer, basal and squamous cell carcinomas, but can be used to treat less
common tumors including melanoma.
"Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer
in their lifetime," said Michael C. Iannuzzi, M.D., M.B.A., professor and
chair of Upstate’s Department of Medicine. "The Upstate Medical
University Mohs Surgery Center is a much needed medical resource for the citizens of Central New York."
Ramsay-S. Farah, M.D., and his sister Joyce B. Farah, M.D., offer this
procedure through Upstate’s Department of Medicine. Ramsay-S. Farah is an
associate professor of medicine and pathology and chief of the dermatology
division of the Department of Medicine and has boards in dermatopathology.
Joyce Farah is an assistant professor of medicine with fellowship training
in photodynamic therapy, a non-surgical treatment for pre-cancers and
non-melanoma skin cancers.
Mohs surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure. Local
anesthesia is administered around the area of the tumor allowing the patient
to remain awake throughout the procedure. “The cure rates for Mohs
Micrographic Surgery approach 99 percent for most previously untreated
cancers with a slightly lower cure rate for secondary or recurrent
cancers,â€
said Ramsay-S Farah.
Mohs surgery preserves the greatest amount of normal tissue, providing the
foundation for the best reconstructions and limiting scarring or permanent
disfigurement, according to Farah.
In Mohs surgery, the visible portion of the tumor is surgically removed. A
layer of the skin is removed and divided into sections that are color-coded
with dyes. The surgeon makes reference marks on the skin to show the source
of these sections and then draws a map of the surgical site. The tissues
are examined while the patient remains in the waiting room. The
undersurface and edges of each section are then microscopically examined for
evidence of remaining cancer. This method of processing the tissue allows
for examination of 100 percent of the surgical margins and accounts for the
high cure rate seen with this procedure. If the cancer cells are found,
their locations are marked onto the map by the surgeon who will then remove
another layer of skin precisely from the site that the cancer cells remain.
The removal process stops when there is no longer any evidence of cancer
remaining in the surgical site.
Mohs surgery is appropriate when the cancer is in an area where it is
important to preserve healthy tissue for maximum functional and cosmetic
result, such as eyelids, nose, ears, lips, fingers, toes and genitals. It
is also appropriate if the cancer was treated previously and has recurred,
or if the cancer is large, if the cancer is growing rapidly or
uncontrollably, or the edges of the cancer are not clearly defined.
Prospective patients must have a biopsy-proven skin cancer and meet the
criteria for Mohs surgery indications. The procedure is covered by most
insurance plans.
In addition to Mohs surgery, Joyce Farah will spearhead a Photodynamic
Therapy Unit in the Mohs surgery suite. PDT is a non- surgical treatment
for pre-cancers and certain non-melanoma skin cancers. During the
treatment a photosensitizing agent is painted on the patient’s skin and it
preferentially concentrates in sun-damaged cells. After an incu
bation of
one to two hours, the Once activated, the medication destroys the
sun-damaged cells.
Photodynamic therapy is appropriate for individuals who have significant sun
damage, numerous actinic keratoses and some superficial forms of basal cell
and squamous cell carcinomas. It is particularly useful for transplant
patients who have weakened immune systems from their transplant medications.
CATEGORY: Health News TAGS: Upstate medical center syracuse,upstate skin cancer treatment, Michael C. Iannuzzi, M.D.,Mohs Surgery Center,Ramsay-S. Farah, M.D., and his sister Joyce B. Farah, M.D,syracuse health care, EDITION: Syracuse City Eagle
