Decision guide
Skin cancer surgery includes Mohs and excision. In studies covering 21,371 patients with early basal cell or squamous cell cancer, 1-year recurrence was 0.2% after Mohs and 0.8% after excision. Bookimed lists 13 skin cancer surgeons at 8 clinics in 5 countries.
Free Bookimed support. Compare options before deciding.
Across studies of early basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers, cancer returned within 1 year in 0.2% after Mohs and 0.8% after conventional excision. The meta-analysis included 21,371 patients across surgery and radiation treatment groups; the reported percentages describe cancer returning at the treated site.
5 countries: Germany, Israel, Poland, Spain, Turkey.
Approximate time in practice in 2026, based on recorded start years.
Surgery for melanoma aims to remove the cancer completely. Mohs surgery combines removal of skin cancer with microscopic examination of the tissue edges during the operation. For invasive melanoma, Mohs and wide local excision have both been studied, but they cannot simply be treated as interchangeable options. Special tissue stains used during Mohs or staged excision have also been studied for invasive melanoma; their use was associated with less cancer returning at the treated site than examination with routine stains alone.
| Method | What it is | What the numbers show | Guidelines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layer-by-layer skin cancer removal with tissue checks (Mohs surgery) | The surgeon removes skin cancer in stages and checks the tissue margins microscopically to conserve uninvolved tissue. |
| AAD: MMS is recommended for high-risk cSCC. [12] |
| Method | What it is | What the numbers show | Guidelines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removal of the remaining regional lymph nodes | After cancer is found in a sentinel node, the surgeon removes the remaining lymph nodes in that region. |
| ESMO: Completion lymph-node dissection is not recommended after a positive sentinel-node biopsy in melanoma. [5] |
| Local tumour removal | The surgeon cuts out the local melanoma lesion without an extensive resection of the surrounding organ. |
| |
| Removal of lymph nodes | The surgeon removes a regional group of lymph nodes affected by or at risk of melanoma spread. |
| |
| Biopsy of the first draining lymph nodes | The first lymph nodes draining a melanoma are removed and examined for cancer spread. |
| ESMO: Sentinel-node biopsy is recommended for clinically node-negative melanoma of AJCC8 stage T2a or higher (>1.0 mm Breslow thickness). [5] |
| Tumour removal with a margin of surrounding tissue | The surgeon removes the skin tumour together with a surrounding margin of tissue. |
| ESMO: Full-depth wide local excision is recommended for primary melanoma; margins depend on tumour thickness. [5] |
The discussion depends on the particular cancer, rather than on the name of the operation alone. For melanoma, tumour characteristics, location and effects on function matter when considering how much surrounding tissue to remove. In studies of invasive melanoma, people treated with Mohs were generally older and had thinner tumours than those treated with wide local excision. For basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers at stages T1–T2 without lymph-node involvement, research has compared surgery with external-beam radiation and brachytherapy, a form of radiation treatment. These are different treatment discussions from melanoma surgery, not evidence that radiation can replace surgery for every skin cancer.
For basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers at stages T1–T2 without lymph-node involvement, a 2019 review included 21,371 patients across the treatment groups. At one year, pooled rates of cancer returning at the treated site were 0.8% after conventional excision and 0.2% after Mohs surgery. These are pooled study estimates, not a direct comparison of otherwise identical patients; the review found similar local cancer control across surgery and radiation treatments at one year. A 2026 review of nonmelanoma skin cancer instead found lower local recurrence after Mohs than after superficial radiation, but this does not establish the same comparison at the same one-year time point.
For melanoma, earlier reviews reported less local recurrence after Mohs or staged excision than after wide local excision. A 2025 review focused on invasive melanoma found that differences between patients and overlapping study populations prevented a reliable conclusion about which operation gives better outcomes for comparable tumours. A lower recurrence estimate in one group therefore does not by itself show that the operation is better for an individual patient.
Cancer can return at the treated site after surgery. Examination of tissue during Mohs can also reveal an unexpected finding, sometimes another tumour, that changes the need for further treatment. Pain medicines have their own risks: even a short postoperative opioid prescription can lead to dependence.
Pain relief after Mohs surgery and reconstruction does not automatically require an opioid prescription. In a 2021 consensus study involving 23 Mohs surgeons, the panel recommended against routinely prescribing opioids to every patient. For melanoma, a sentinel lymph-node biopsy is a staging procedure used to assess the disease; it is a separate consideration from removal of the skin tumour.
| Specialist | Clinic | Operations and experience | Ask about treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
Mustafa Solak | Hisar Hospital Intercontinental Istanbul, Turkey | Melanoma surgery Mohs microsurgery In practice since 2006. | Ask about treatment |
Haluk Duman | Anadolu Medical Center Istanbul, Turkey | Melanoma surgery In practice since 1995. | Ask about treatment |
Bulent Karagoz | Anadolu Medical Center Istanbul, Turkey | Melanoma surgery In practice since 1993. | Ask about treatment |
Erkan Karatas | Atlas University Hospital Istanbul, Turkey | Melanoma surgery In practice since 1999. | Ask about treatment |
Hasan Sahin | Hisar Hospital Intercontinental Istanbul, Turkey | Mohs microsurgery In practice since 2006. | Ask about treatment |
| Specialist | Clinic | Operations and experience | Ask about treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
Viola Fox | Medical Center in Solingen Solingen, Germany | Melanoma surgery In practice since 2012. | Ask about treatment |
Peter Schenker | Medical Center in Solingen Solingen, Germany | Mohs microsurgery In practice since 2007. | Ask about treatment |
Wolfgang Schröder | Helios Gesundheit Wuppertal, Germany | Mohs microsurgery In practice since 2001. | Ask about treatment |
| Specialist | Clinic | Operations and experience | Ask about treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
Dov Zippel | Sheba Medical Center Ramat Gan, Israel | Melanoma surgery In practice since 2001. | Ask about treatment |
| Specialist | Clinic | Operations and experience | Ask about treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
Piotr Ciszewski | WILMED Medical Clinic Warsaw, Poland | Melanoma surgery In practice since 1992. | Ask about treatment |
Wojciech Gackowski | WILMED Medical Clinic Warsaw, Poland | Melanoma surgery In practice since 1983. | Ask about treatment |
Jacek Albinski | WILMED Medical Clinic Warsaw, Poland | Melanoma surgery In practice since 1982. | Ask about treatment |
| Specialist | Clinic | Operations and experience | Ask about treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
Joan Ramon Garces Gatnau | Centro Médico Teknon Barcelona, Spain | Melanoma surgery Mohs microsurgery In practice since 1986. | Ask about treatment |
Across studies of early basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers, cancer returned within 1 year in 0.2% after Mohs and 0.8% after conventional excision. The meta-analysis included 21,371 patients across surgery and radiation treatment groups; the reported percentages describe cancer returning at the treated site. PMID 31355928
In the DeCOG-SLT trial of melanoma with a positive sentinel lymph node, 32 patients (13%) had severe side effects (grade 3 or 4) after removal of the remaining regional lymph nodes. These included lymph fluid swelling in 20 patients and delayed wound healing in 5. The trial reported a median follow-up of 72 months. PMID 31557067
The skin cancer evidence collection covers 6 operations: removal of the remaining regional lymph nodes; local tumour removal; removal of lymph nodes; layer-by-layer skin cancer removal with tissue checks (mohs surgery); biopsy of the first draining lymph nodes; tumour removal with a margin of surrounding tissue.
5 of the 13 listed skin cancer surgeons have Mohs surgery in their operation lists. Use the Mohs operation entry to identify those profiles and ask the surgeon about treating your tumour.
The listed teams work at 8 clinics in 5 countries: Germany, Israel, Poland, Spain and Turkey. Each surgeon profile links to the named clinic, so you can compare the location alongside the listed operations. PMID 31355928
Recorded start years put their time in practice at about 14–44 years in 2026. Start years are recorded for 13 of 13 surgeons. Ask how many Mohs or melanoma operations the surgeon performs each year when comparing experience.
Share your diagnosis and reports through the Bookimed request form.
Free Bookimed support. Compare options before deciding.
Free Bookimed support. Compare options before deciding.