More than 9 out of ten people (90%) with basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are completely cured.

Surgery is an important treatment for many skin cancers. Surgery can be done in a variety of ways. Small cancers can usually be removed under local anaesthetic.

When larger tumours are removed, skin grafts are sometimes needed to replace the removed skin. A skin graft is a thin layer of healthy skin taken from another part of the body. This is done under either a local or general anaesthetic. In many cases, surgery is the only treatment needed. Rarely, patients with squamous cell skin cancers will also have surgery to remove nearby lymph nodes.

Radiotherapy may be used instead of surgery and can be a very effective alternative to surgery for basal and squamous cell carcinomas. It is especially used in areas of the face where surgery might cause scarring. Radiotherapy may be given after surgery if there is a risk that some cancer cells may still be present. Sometimes it is used for tumours that have grown into the deeper layers of the skin.

Chemotherapy is not often used to treat skin cancers, but may be used occasionally. If it is used, it is usually as a cream applied directly to the cancer. More rarely, a course of chemotherapy is given by injection.

Newer treatments such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) or topical immunotherapy cream may be used.

Your doctor will plan your treatment by taking into account a number of factors including:

• your age
• your general health
• the type of skin cancer
• the size of the cancer
• where it is on your body
• what the cells look like under the microscope.

You may be asked to take part in a clinical trial of a new treatment.

A team of doctors and other staff will work together to decide on the best treatment for you. They will follow national cancer treatment guidelines.

If you have any questions about your treatment don't be afraid to ask your doctor or nurse. It often helps to make a list of questions for your doctor. You may want to take a close friend or relative with you to appointments. They can remind you of questions you want to ask, and afterwards help you remember what was said.

More than 90% of patients with basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma are completely cured.

Before you have any treatment, your doctor will explain its aims to you. They will usually ask you to sign a form saying that you give your permission (consent) for the hospital staff to give you the treatment. No medical treatment can be given without your consent, and before you are asked to sign the form you should have been given full information about:

• the type and extent of the treatment you are advised to have
• the advantages and disadvantages of the treatment
• any other treatments that may be available
• any significant risks or side effects of the treatment.

If you don’t understand what you have been told, let the staff know straight away so that they can explain again. Some cancer treatments are complex, so it is not unusual for people to need repeated explanations.

Patients often feel that the hospital staff are too busy to answer their questions, but it is important for you to be aware of how the treatment is likely to affect you. The staff should be willing to make time for you to ask questions.

You can always ask for more time to decide about the treatment if you feel that you can’t make a decision when it is first explained to you.

You are also free to choose not to have the treatment. The staff can explain what may happen if you do not have it. It is essential to tell a doctor, or the nurse in charge, so that they can record your decision in your medical notes. You do not have to give a reason for not wanting to have treatment, but it can be helpful to let the staff know your concerns so that they can give you the best advice.

Many people are frightened at the idea of having cancer treatment because of the side effects that can occur. Some people ask what would happen if they did not have any treatment.

Treatment can be given for different reasons. The potential benefits will vary depending upon the individual situation. Treatment can cure most people with basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, and although the treatment can cause side effects such as scarring in the affected area, this is often very slight or easy to disguise.

If treatment is not given, the cancer will continue to grow. The growth is very slow, but over years the cancer may spread into deeper tissues of the skin and may need more extensive surgery or other treatment, which may cause more scarring. It is important to discuss treatments in detail with your doctors, especially if you are given a choice of treatments.

Usually a number of cancer specialists work together as a team and they use national treatment guidelines to decide on the most suitable treatment for a patient. Even so, you may want to have another medical opinion. Either your specialist, or your GP, will be willing to refer you to another specialist for a second opinion, if you feel it will be helpful. The second opinion may cause a delay in the start of your treatment, so you and your doctor need to be confident that it will give you useful information.

If you do go for a second opinion, it may be a good idea to take a friend or relative with you and have a list of questions ready, so that you can make sure your concerns are covered during the discussion.