Skin Cancer Treatment and Survival Rate

April 10, 2026

This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Gaurav Singh, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.M.S., Mohs Micrographic Surgeon and Dermatologist, City of Hope^® Cancer Center Chicago.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type. However, many effective treatment options are available for skin cancer and survival rates are relatively high, especially if the disease is detected early. Patients diagnosed with skin cancer may undergo one type of treatment or several different types, depending on factors such as the type, stage and location of their skin cancer.

Who Treats Skin Cancer?

Patients with skin cancer receive care from a multidisciplinary cancer care team that may include:

• Dermatologists, who are doctors specializing in managing conditions that affect the skin, as well as the nails and hair
• Mohs surgeons, who specialize in a type of surgery called Mohs surgery which gives the best possible cure rate with least possible scarring for many types of skin cancer
• Surgical oncologists with expertise in surgical treatment options for removing skin cancer, including advanced techniques like Mohs micrographic surgery
• Medical oncologists, who are doctors who help diagnose, stage and treat skin cancer using medications such as chemotherapy, targeted therapies or immunotherapies
• Pathologists with expertise in evaluating tissue samples and tumors as part of skin cancer diagnosis and treatment
• Radiation oncologists, who have expertise in the use of high-energy beams of radiation to treat skin cancer
• Specialized pharmacies, which are able to supply medications for hard-to-treat conditions and all types and stages of skin cancer
• Supportive medicine providers, who offer patients and loved ones access to services that may help manage cancer- and treatment-related side effects and symptoms

Skin Cancer Treatments

The first-line treatment for skin cancer is often surgery. However, each patient and each diagnosis is unique. This means that some patients may receive skin cancer surgery in combination with other treatments such as cancer-fighting medications or radiation therapy. Aligning with patients’ expectations and goals is an important part of the treatment plan.

“The way I ensure a patient's treatment plan aligns with their personal preferences and goals is by making conversation the very first tool I reach for, before I ever talk about surgery or margins or reconstruction,” says Gaurav Singh, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.M.S., Mohs micrographic surgeon and dermatologist at City of Hope^® Cancer Center Chicago. “I sit down with them, I look them in the eye, and I ask them directly what matters most to them, whether that is minimizing scarring, getting back to work quickly, avoiding general anesthesia, or simply understanding every step of what we are doing and why. I then present the options honestly, including the risks and benefits of each, so that the patient is a true partner in the decision rather than a passive recipient of my recommendation.”

Surgery

Surgery is the most common treatment for skin cancer. Some of the different types of surgical techniques used to treat skin cancer include wide excision, Mohs micrographic surgery, laser surgery and cryosurgery. Each procedure works differently, but the goal is to completely remove skin cancer from the body. Surgery is an option for most types of skin cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. For patients with early-stage skin cancer, surgery is often the only treatment that is needed.

“For lesions in cosmetically sensitive areas like the nose, lips or eyelids, I make sure to have an explicit conversation about reconstruction expectations, because what I consider an excellent surgical outcome and what the patient envisions are not always the same thing, and that gap needs to be closed before we ever get to the operating table,” Dr. Singh says. “I also take into account the full picture of who this person is, their age, their comorbidities, their support system at home and any cultural or personal values that may shape how they want to proceed. I document their stated preferences formally in the chart and revisit them at every follow-up visit, because I know that goals shift, especially when someone is navigating a new diagnosis and processing information over time.”

Mohs Surgery

Mohs surgery has the highest cure rate and least possible scarring for many types of skin cancer. Your surgeon removes the cancer with a narrow margin of normal skin and assesses the tissue for the absence or presence of cancer under the microscope while you wait in the office. Reconstruction is then performed to give an optimal outcome.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of radiation aimed at the body to target and kill skin cancer cells. Radiation therapy is most often used after surgery for skin cancers including squamous cell, Merkel cell and basal cell carcinoma. The goal of radiation therapy is to kill any cancer cells left behind after surgery. For certain patients whose cancer may not be treated surgically, radiation therapy may be the primary treatment option.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of medications to target and destroy cancer cells. It may be given intravenously, meaning it is infused into a vein, or in the form of a pill that is swallowed. Chemotherapy is less commonly used to treat skin cancer. However, it may be an option for some patients with basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

Topical Skin Cancer Treatments

Topical skin cancer treatments are becoming increasingly common for treating certain types of skin cancer. These are creams, ointments or gels applied directly to the skin to destroy precancerous or cancer cells on the surface. These treatments may include those listed below.

5-fluorouracil: Also called 5-FU, this chemo cream is applied to the skin daily for a few weeks to destroy surface-based cancer cells. Because it doesn’t penetrate cells beneath the surface, this drug is usually prescribed for basal cell or squamous cell cancers, or precancerous conditions like actinic keratosis.

Tirbanibulin: This chemo ointment may be used for actinic keratosis lesions on the scalp or face. Most people use it daily for a week or less.

Diclofenac: This is a gel that’s in the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) category, which helps reduce inflammation. Most patients need to use this once or twice a day for several months.

Imiquimod: This isn’t a chemo or NSAID cream, but is instead an immune response modifier. Used for actinic keratoses and certain basal cell cancers in the early stage, it prompts the patient’s own immune system to attack the lesion affecting the skin. Most patients use this drug several times weekly.

Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a form of treatment that uses light-activated medications to destroy cancer cells. PDT medications are injected into the bloodstream, where they move through the body and bind to cancer cells. Then, lasers or light emitting diodes (LEDs) are aimed at the site of the cancer, activating the medications and killing cancer cells.

PDT may be used for precancerous changes to the skin, as well as early-stage basal and squamous cell carcinoma. It may also be referred to as blue light therapy, blue light treatment, photoradiation therapy or photochemotherapy.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is the term for a wide range of medications that harness the body’s own immune system, helping it detect and fight cancer. Immunotherapy may be recommended for patients with more advanced forms of Merkel cell, basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma or who have a higher chance of their cancer returning after treatment.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapies are drugs designed to find and attack cancer on a cellular level while causing less damage to the body’s healthy tissue. Targeted therapy is a less common treatment for skin cancer. But some options may be used to treat basal cell carcinoma.

Skin Cancer Survival Rates

Survival rates for skin cancer vary greatly, depending on the type and stage of cancer that a patient has. Learn about survival rates by the type of skin cancer:

• Basal cell carcinoma survival rates
• Melanoma survival rates
• Merkel cell carcinoma survival rates
• Skin lymphoma survival rates
• Squamous cell carcinoma survival rates