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Abstract
Mohs surgery (MS) is an effective technique for the removal of a variety of cutaneous neoplasms by virtue of its thorough assessment of margins. It has yet to become widely accepted for melanoma because recognizing melanocytes histologically in frozen section can be problematic. Recently, ‘rapid’ methods of immunohistochemistry have been developed that resolve this issue by staining the melanocytes in frozen section. In addition, some of the immunohistochemistry protocols that previously required up to 1 h now take 19 min or less. These technological enhancements for MS have removed some of the obstacles towards the acceptance of MS as a legitimate option for removal of melanomas, especially poorly demarcated lesions and lesions from the head and neck, the distal extremities and the genitalia. Experience thus far with MS for melanoma has shown lower recurrence rates and improved disease-specific survival compared with historical controls for standard excision, while at the same time minimizing the sacrifice of normal tissue.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.