The most advanced and accurate treatment for skin cancer
Mohs surgery is an advanced surgical technique that has the highest cure rate for skin cancer.
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Mohs surgery is used primarily to treat the two most common types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Dr. Frederic Mohs originally developed the technique in which one physician serves in three distinct roles as cancer surgeon, pathologist, and reconstructive surgeon. Mohs surgery differs from all other skin cancer treatment methods because it combines intraoperative microscopic examination of the cancer with detailed mapping of the entire three-dimensional surgical margin. This precision allows board-certified, fellowship-trained Anir Dhir, M.D. to remove only tissue involved with cancer, with a cure rate of over 99.5%.
Dr. Dhir performs the surgery in our state-of-the-art office while you are awake. Local anesthesia, and sometimes a mild oral sedative, are used to keep you comfortable throughout the procedure. He removes the visible skin cancer along with a thin rim (“margin”) of surrounding skin. A bandage is placed, and you are allowed to relax, and even eat or drink, while our in-house laboratory prepares slides for examination. Dr. Dhir check all edges of the specimen for cancer cells using a microscope. If additional cancer cells are seen, more tissue is removed from precisely the area involved with cancer. Once Dr. Dhir confirms that all cancer has been removed, he utilizes plastic surgical techniques to reconstruct the wound to minimize scarring and give you the most natural result. The wound may be closed with stitches, a flap, or a graft. In some cases, a wound may be allowed to heal on its own.
The purpose of any cancer treatment is to remove all traces of tumor. Cancer roots are often hidden below the surface of the skin and are easily missed with traditional treatments. Unfortunately, all non-Mohs techniques (e.g. scraping and burning, standard excision, and radiation) rely on the unassisted human eye to determine the extent of disease. As a result, these less accurate techniques are associated with cure rates of 90-94% or less, meaning they fail to cure the cancer in at least one out of every ten to twenty treatments. Non-Mohs approaches also lead to repeat surgeries in as many as 1 in 5 cases, because the physician is effectively guessing where the true cancer margins lie.
By contrast, the cure rate at Arizona Mohs Surgery & Dermatology with Mohs surgery is over 99.5%, so the risk of a treatment failure is reduced to less than one in 200 surgeries.
Because Mohs surgery is so precise, the amount of tissue removed is also minimized, resulting in smaller wound which requires smaller reconstruction and heals more quickly.
We are committed to providing the highest quality and safest care at the lowest possible cost.
Our surgeries are performed entirely under local anesthesia in our outpatient office that was designed and built specifically for Mohs surgery using the best U.S.- and German-manufactured equipment and instruments. By focusing on office-based care without putting you to sleep, we eliminate the traditional costs of an ambulatory surgery center or hospital, and the potential risks of intravenous / general anesthesia and alternative therapies such as radiation. Our approach can reduce the cost of a single skin cancer surgery by several hundred or even a few thousand dollars. Dr. Dhir examines the tissue himself while you wait to make sure that the cancer has been completely removed before performing any needed reconstruction. Therefore, a single visit is generally sufficient, and there are no additional pathologist costs in the vast majority of cases. The entire visit (consultation, preparation, anesthesia, excision, tissue examination, and reconstruction) typically lasts 3 to 5 hours. Much of that time is spent waiting comfortably while we prepare and examine the tissue.
Mohs surgery is the gold standard for cancers located in cosmetically or functionally critical areas such as the face, neck, scalp, and hands. It is also the best approach for non-facial tumors measuring at least 2 cm in diameter, as well as aggressive or rapidly growing cancers and those with ill-defined edges on clinical examination. Because Mohs surgery is more accurate than any other approach, many cancers are sent to Dr. Dhir after failing other attempts at therapy. These “recurrent” cancers are typically more serious and often significantly larger than they appear on the surface. The same is true for large or neglected tumors, and those arising in patients with a history of cigarette smoking. Please be advised that these tumors typically require more time and effort to cure, and may occasionally need more than one surgery and/or occasional referral to other specialists if deeper structures (e.g. muscle, bone, cartilage, nerves, tear ducts, the inside of the nose) are involved with cancer. Also, tumors at higher risk for “metastasis” (spread to internal organs) may require additional treatment, such as lymph node dissection, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy, even after microscopically clear margins are obtained.
Dr. Dhir is one of the most experienced skin cancer surgeons in the country, having performed 47,000 Mohs procedures since 1999. His friendly, compassionate team has worked together for many years, and they are committed to your health, comfort, and a positive experience.
Thank you for your kind and professional care!
Thank you so very much for taking such exceptional care of me. I was quite nervous being on the other side of the surgery. You completely put my mind at ease.
I just want to thank all of you for being so nice to me and treating me really good. It’s people like you all that make life worth living and make people want to go on. Again, thank you for everything you done for me. I will never forget your kindness. Love all of you so much. Thank you!
Three days have passed since your removal of the cancer from my face. The pain from the surgery has been light and tolerable. There has been no need for pills to relieve this pain. There are no signs of bleeding or of swelling. You mentioned the danger to a nerve which controls the mouth, had the cancer not been removed. The body is wonderfully made! It has never occurred to me that there is a mechanism which enables us to open our mouths.
Thank you for your kindness. I wish I could put into words what your thoughtfulness means to us. I am so amazed at the things you have done for my husband and myself that you didn't have to do. It is very greatly appreciated.
Best medical experience ever had. Thanks, Doc.
Thank you for all your help. I also wanted to compliment you on your kindness and great attention to detail. You always make time to talk and made me feel at ease through a tense procedure. I have been to many doctors in my life and would rate you as the best I have ever known. Your attentiveness, compassion, and ability are without any possible reproach. I can actually say I looked forward to my doctor visits rather than avoided them. I wish you continued success. Thank you truly.
Thank you for the surgery on my right eye area + the kind + wonderful way you and your staff treated me. I was upset for being late and you all made me so relaxed and welcome. My sincere thanks.
Thank you for doing a great job on getting cancer off my eyelid and out the corner of my eye. It has healed well! Every one of you in the office treated me well and took good care of me and I really appreciate that. I'm very pleased that my eye is alright and I hope you can see how is has healed. Thank you so very much!
