Basal cell carcinoma: treatment options
Treatment options for basal cell carcinoma are:
For superficial, superficial trunk skin basal cell carcinoma
- Photodynamic therapy
- Removal by freezing (cryosurgery)
- Ointment therapy with Imiquimod 5% or 5FU cream (Efudix)
- Excision or
- X-ray therapy
For all basal cell carcinomas:
Surgical removal is the standard therapy. This can be performed using a special technique called MOHS surgery (micrographically controlled surgery) with the smallest possible safety margin. With this technique, the excised tissue is assessed under the microscope immediately after removal to determine whether the entire tumor has been excised and only then is the wound closed. In most cases, this is done under local anesthesia.
Radiotherapy with X-rays (X-ray surface therapy): this requires several sessions and can be carried out on patients aged 65 and over.
Systemic therapy with medication: if the basal cell carcinoma is already very advanced or there are so many of them that surgical excision or radiotherapy does not make sense or does not give a good result, therapy with tablets can be used. This smoothened-inhibitor therapy penetrates the cancer cycle and can specifically stop and partially cure the cancer, but is associated with side effects, which the doctor will explain to you in detail.
