Overview of Mohs micrographic surgery for the treatment of skin cancers

Mohs micrographic surgery is a specialized surgical technique for the treatment of skin cancers. The procedure was developed by Dr Frederic Mohs in the 1930s at the University of Wisconsin and, since then, its use has spread worldwide. The utility of Mohs surgery is based on the fact that cutaneous neoplasms grow in unpredictable, root-like extensions and often vary in both breadth and depth. The advantage of Mohs surgery over traditional skin cancer treatments in that it enables highly precise histologic margin control of deep and peripheral margins of cancerous tissue, with maximal preservation of normal tissue. Therefore, Mohs surgery has been recognized as the skin cancer treatment with the highest reported cure rate.