Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is an abnormal growth of skin cells. At UT Southwestern Medical Center, our skin cancer program – like all our clinical programs – integrates current research discoveries to ensure that our patients receive the most accurate diagnoses and the most effective treatments available.

In fact, our clinical trials program gives patients access to treatments often unavailable at other health care facilities. Depending on the patient's specific condition and the type of skin cancer, UT Southwestern can offer patients therapies that show particular promise in treating their form of skin cancer years before they are offered to the public.

Common Types

There are different kinds of skin cancer, but the three most common are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma:

Basal Cell Carcinoma: Doesn’t usually spread to other parts of the body; can grow deeply into the skin and sometimes invade muscles and bones
Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Can grow very quickly and spread to lymph nodes; can begin as pigmented lesions (also called “colored skin spots”), which can be moles, freckles, certain birthmarks, or flesh-colored skin spots
Melanoma: The most serious type of skin cancer; aggressive, but can be cured if caught in its early stages; can present as a change in a mole or birthmark, or a new, suspicious mole; warrants immediate examination by a physician

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. CTCL first appears on the skin. In most patients, CTCL may be treated effectively by directing therapy against those skin manifestations. In cases in which the disease has advanced, our dermatology specialists work as team members with oncologists and other physicians.

Advanced, Research-Based Treatments

UT Southwestern Medical Center offers some of the most advanced therapies available for the treatment of skin cancer. Our specialists are leading experts in the use of topical chemotherapy, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, laser surgery, conventional excisional surgery, and Mohs surgery. They also are widely respected by their peers as leaders in the treatment of skin cancer.

Our program conducts groundbreaking research into the causes and cures for all types of skin cancer. UT Southwestern is a major contributor to ongoing scientific investigation sponsored by the John Wayne Cancer Institute, which is exploring how innovative therapies can prevent or delay the recurrence of skin cancer in high-risk patients.

Individuals with a family history of skin cancer also can benefit from UT Southwestern’s specialists and state-of-the-art medical facilities to prevent the occurrence or recurrence of skin cancer.

Our Skin Cancer Clinical Practices

UT Southwestern has three specialty clinical practices focused on the treatment of skin cancer:

Melanoma Clinical Practice: The only clinical practice of its kind in the region; staffed by a team of physicians representing a variety of surgical and medical specialties, including a dermatologist and dermatopathologist, who collaborate with the patient and referring physician and offer comprehensive diagnosis, therapy, and long-term follow-up
Pigmented Skin Lesion Clinical Practice: The only pigmented skin lesion service of its kind in North Texas; designed for patients with melanoma and at-risk family members; identifies and monitors individuals with suspicious moles or other pigmented lesions, so that cancerous changes can be detected and treated early, or prevented
Skin Surgery and Oncology Clinical Practice: Specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of all forms of skin cancer; performs skin biopsies and offers such common therapies as cryosurgery and excision, with particular expertise in Mohs surgical techniques, as well as nonsurgical means of cancer therapy