There is no question that Mohs surgery provides the highest cure rate for the treatment of skin cancer. As opposed to standard excision performed by plastic surgeons, primary care physician's, dermatologist, etc., Mohs surgery has significantly higher cure rates.
A five-year study shows that Mohs surgery for most skin cancers has a 97 to 99% cure rate. Standard excision has a 90% cure rate. The other advantage of Mohs surgery is that 100% of the tissue is examined when it is removed by a Fellowship trained Mohs surgeon as opposed to a less than 1% when it is removed by standard excision and sent to a pathologist for examination. Hence, the problem with standard excision lies not with the surgeon but with what happens to the tissue when it is examined under the microscope.
By the way, for a recurrent tumor, cure rates by standard excision are 80% versus 95% for Mohs surgery so in this case, there is no question that Mohs surgery is your best option for cure!
