Mohs' micrographic surgery.

Mohs' micrographic surgery is used for the treatment of contiguously spreading cancer of the skin. This technique involves removal of tissue in thin layers and precise histographic mapping of all margins of the specimen to determine whether tumor remains. Cure rates are extremely high for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, especially those known to be at high risk for recurrence. Mohs' micrographic surgery is also tissue sparing because tumor can be precisely identified and removed, and the maximal amount of normal skin can be retained for wound repair. As an outpatient procedure done with the use of local anesthesia, this procedure is both highly effective and safe, and the resultant wounds can be reconstructed in a cosmetically acceptable fashion.