Mohs surgery

Definition of Mohs surgery

Mohs surgery

(moze SER-juh-ree)
A procedure used to treat certain types of skin cancer, penile cancer, and soft tissue sarcoma of the skin. During Mohs surgery, one layer of tissue at the site of a visible cancer is removed at a time and checked under a microscope for the presence of cancer. This process is repeated until all cancerous tissue has been removed. This type of surgery removes as little normal tissue as possible. It is often used to remove skin cancer on the face, fingers, or genitals, including cancer on or just under the skin of the penis. It may also be used to remove some sarcomas of the skin. Also called Mohs micrographic surgery.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms