When the time comes to make a treatment decision for your skin cancer, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by your options. From a simple excision procedure to Image-Guided Superficial Radiotherapy (Image-Guided SRT) and more in-between, there’s a lot to consider. Join us below as we compare simple excisions vs. Image-Guided SRT to help you gain some insight into these common treatment methods and move confidently toward a treatment decision.

What is Simple Excision? 

Minor cases of skin cancer may be treated with a simple excision. It is an outpatient surgical procedure that can usually be performed in your doctor’s office. Here’s a basic overview of what to expect from this treatment method:

1. Before the procedure begins, the treatment area is numbed. 
2. After numbing the area, your doctor will use a scalpel to remove the skin cancer area, as well as a margin of surrounding healthy tissue.
3. When the excision is completed, the wound will typically be closed with stitches. However, larger wounds may require a skin graft to heal. 

What is Image-Guided SRT?

Image-Guided SRT is a surgery-free alternative to treatment methods like simple excision. There is no cutting required, thus there is no need for stitches or skin grafting. 

Image-Guided SRT uses ultrasound imaging and superficial radiotherapy to treat common skin cancers like basal and squamous cell skin cancers with low-level X-ray energy. Using an advanced machine called the SRT-100 Vision™, a board-certified radiation therapist delivers a precise and calibrated dose of energy just below the skin’s surface to destroy the cancerous cells without harming the surrounding healthy tissues.

Here’s a closer look at what to expect during treatment:

1. Your radiation therapist will instruct you to have a seat or lie down on the treatment table. 
2. Protective garments will be placed over your body to shield the non-treatment areas from the low-level X-ray energy that will be administered to the skin cancer area. 
3. The radiation therapist will then turn on the machine to start treating the affected area. This takes about 20 – 25 seconds. 
4. After treatment, there are no wounds and your skin should heal up relatively quickly. You may experience mild dry skin or hypopigmentation, which should diminish on their own shortly after you finish treatment.

Call GentleCure to Learn More About Image-Guided SRT

After comparing simple excisions vs. Image-Guided SRT, would you like to learn more about Image-Guided SRT as an alternative to other common treatment methods, like Mohs or electrodesiccation? Call GentleCure at 855-936-4411 to speak with a skin cancer information specialist today. We can tell you more about how Image-Guided SRT works and answer any other questions you may have before you look for a practice offering Image-Guided SRT near you.