The 99% Cure Rate: Why Mohs Surgery Outperforms Traditional Skin Cancer Removal

Skin cancer treatment comes in several forms, from surgical removal to radiation and topical approaches. Mohs surgery consistently produces the highest cure rate of the group, clearing up to 99% of previously untreated cases. The reason has to do with when and how the surgeon confirms the cancer has been fully removed.

With multiple board-certified dermatologists and Mohs surgeons, we perform Mohs surgery at our Vivida Dermatology offices in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, and St. George, Utah.

Common skin cancer treatments and their limitations

Several effective options exist, and each has a place depending on the tumor and the patient. Cure rates for these approaches generally run above 95% in appropriate cases:

Standard excision

Your surgeon cuts out the tumor along with a margin of surrounding skin and sends the specimen to an outside lab. The pathologist examines cross-sections rather than the full outer edge, so cancer cells sitting between those sections can go undetected. Results take days, and positive margins mean a second procedure.

Curettage and electrodesiccation

The dermatologist scrapes away the tumor with a curved instrument, then cauterizes the site to destroy remaining cells, usually repeating the cycle a few times in a single visit. Nothing goes under a microscope, so there’s no immediate confirmation the cancer is gone.

Radiation therapy

Low-energy X-ray beams destroy tumor cells across multiple sessions, with no cutting or anesthesia required. It suits patients who can’t tolerate surgery, though there’s no way to verify destruction of the tumor.

Cryotherapy

Liquid nitrogen freezes the lesion, which then heals without stitches. Evidence on cryotherapy is mixed, and like the other nonsurgical methods, it offers no microscopic confirmation.

Examining the complete margin, layer by layer

Mohs surgery replaces the outside lab with an on-site one, which changes the entire process. Your surgeon removes one thin layer of tissue, hands it to a technician who freezes and prepares it, then examines the slides personally before deciding whether to continue. 

That examination covers nearly the entire margin of the removed layer, both the deep surface and the outer edge.

Skin cancers send out roots beneath the surface that don’t follow the border you can see. A tumor that looks like a small spot can extend well beyond it. Checking the complete margin catches those extensions, and the tissue map pinpoints exactly where they sit.

Confirmation before you leave

When cancer appears at an edge, your surgeon removes another layer from only that location and repeats the process. Each round takes an hour or two of lab work, which is why Mohs appointments run long.

The payoff is that your wound gets closed only after a layer comes back completely clear. You won’t wait on a phone call or discover weeks later that the margins were positive.

Less tissue removed, not more

Precision usually means taking more, but Mohs works the other way. Because your surgeon confirms clearance as they go, there’s no need for the wide safety margin other methods build in as a hedge against uncertainty.

That combination is difficult to find elsewhere: the highest cure rate available paired with the smallest wound. 

When Mohs is the right call

A high cure rate doesn’t make Mohs necessary for every case. Small, low-risk cancers on the trunk or limbs often do well with simpler treatment. Mohs makes more sense for:

• Cancers on the face, ears, nose, lips, eyelids, hands, feet, or genitals
• Tumors with borders you can’t clearly define
• Cancers that returned after previous treatment
• Large, fast-growing, or aggressive tumors
• Patients with weakened immune systems

Even for recurrent cancers, which have already proven stubborn, Mohs maintains cure rates around 94%.

Skin cancer treatment in Las Vegas, Henderson, and St. George

Your cancer type, its location, and your health history all shape which treatment fits. To talk through your options, contact one of our offices today.