Mohs Micrographic Surgery Unit

Mohs is a special technique used in the surgical removal of skin cancer and differs from standard surgical excision. In Mohs micrographic surgery, the skin cancer is removed step by step under microscope control. For this reason, Mohs clears the skin cancer from the skin with all of its roots while preserving healthy skin to the greatest possible extent, and it is more successful than all other treatment methods in achieving complete cure of skin cancer.

The word micrographic is made up of “microscope” and “graphic,” the key features of Mohs. In Mohs surgery, all of the surgical margins of the cancerous tissue removed from the skin are examined under the microscope immediately and completely. In Mohs surgery, a map is drawn at the moment the cancer is removed, its orientations are coded with colored dyes, and the tissue is immediately frozen and sectioned in a cryostat, and all lateral and deep surgical margins are examined under the microscope to see whether they are clear. If a margin that has not been cleared of cancer is seen under the microscope, the location of the cancer is pinpointed with the help of the drawn map and the colors, and only the part where the cancer continues is removed in the next stage. Because only the part where the cancer continues is removed with exact precision, healthy skin is not removed unnecessarily. The procedure can continue stage by stage until all margins are clear of cancer. Sometimes 2-3 stages or more may be needed.

Like the part of a tree visible above the ground and its roots below the ground, a skin cancer can sometimes be deeper than it appears on the surface of the skin, and the roots within the skin cannot be seen with the naked eye. If all of these roots are not cleared from the skin, the cancer may recur after a while. In Mohs surgery, 100% of the surgical margins are examined under the microscope, making it possible to follow all of the roots that are invisible to the naked eye under the microscope. Because the cancer is removed under microscopic guidance, all roots are cleared while unnecessary cutting of healthy skin is avoided. Because Mohs surgery prevents unnecessary excision, it offers a great advantage particularly in the treatment of skin cancers located on the head and neck. It reduces to a minimum the likelihood of the cancer recurring in the same area after treatment.