In this treatment, the doctor first injects a medicine to numb the area. Then the skin tumor is removed by scraping it with a long, thin instrument with a sharp looped edge on one end (called a curette). The area is then treated with an electric needle (electrode) to destroy any remaining cancer cells. This process is often repeated once or twice during the same office visit.
Curettage and electrodesiccation is a good treatment for superficial (confined to the top layer of skin) basal cell and squamous cell cancers, as well as some pre-cancerous skin tumors.
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Last Revised: April 16, 2021
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