High-Risk Skin Cancer

Specialized Care

At Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, our dermatology team specializes in diagnosing and treating high-risk skin cancer. Our experts are experienced in providing specialized care and dermatologic surgery for complex cases.

We care for patients who have a higher risk of developing skin cancer due to organ transplants, suppressed immune systems or other medical conditions. We coordinate our treatment plans with your transplant team and other health care providers.

We treat suspicious lesions found during screenings for skin cancer quickly. After diagnosis, you may have a same-day biopsy and receive same-day treatment of pre-cancerous lesions.

We also educate you about skin cancer prevention and work with you to lower your risk of developing problems. This includes information on how to protect yourself from the sun and identify possible skin cancer lesions at home.

Our dermatology experts can treat:

• Actinic keratosis
• Adnexal carcinoma—also called microcystic adnexal carcinoma, this is a rare sweat gland cancer
• Atypical fibroxanthoma—single tumor or lump often found on sun damaged skin 
• Basal cell carcinoma
• High-risk squamous cell carcinoma
• Merkel cell carcinoma—aggressive type of neuroendocrine cancer that involves the Merkel cells
• Sebaceous carcinoma—cancer that starts in an oil gland, commonly in the eyelid

Mohs Micrographic Surgery

At Lahey, we specialize in Mohs micrographic surgery, a precise surgical treatment for skin cancer and skin tumors.

During the procedure, we remove thin layers of cancerous skin tissue and examine it under a microscope until only cancer-free tissue is left around the margin (border around the cancerous lesion). By tracking the tumor-removal process microscopically, we can make sure the entire tumor is removed. For certain types of skin cancer, Mohs micrographic surgery offers a cure rate of up to 99 percent.

Mohs micrographic surgery is done on an outpatient basis. Our specialty-trained surgical team includes a surgeon, surgical assistants and a technician who prepares the tissue for microscopic examination. You meet the entire team at the time of your consultation and surgery.