Curettage and Electrodesiccation
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.
- Written by
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Last Revised: April 16, 2021
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.