Curettage and electrodesiccation (also known as cautery) is used to treat some basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), small squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), and areas of SCC in situ (Bowen’s disease).
How it’s done
The doctor will give you a local anaesthetic and then scoop out the cancer using a small, sharp, spoon-shaped instrument called a curette. Low-level heat will be applied to stop the bleeding and destroy any remaining cancer.
What to expect after
The wound should heal within a few weeks, leaving a small, flat, round, white scar. Some people may have cryotherapy after curettage to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
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All updated content has been clinically reviewed by Prof Victoria Mar, Director, Victorian Melanoma Service, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, VIC and Prof Anne Cust, Acting Director, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW, and faculty member, Melanoma Institute Australia. This edition is based on the previous edition, which was reviewed by the following panel: Prof Victoria Mar (see above); Tracey Bilson, Consumer; Raelene Buchan, Consumer; Alison Button-Sloan, Consumer; Dr Margaret Chua, Radiation Oncologist, and the Skin Radiation Oncology team, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Prof Anne Cust, (see above); A/Prof Paul Fishburn, Skin Cancer Doctor, Norwest Skin Cancer Centre, NSW and Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland; Danielle Goss, Melanoma Clinical Nurse Specialist, Amie St Clair Melanoma (part of Melanoma Institute Australia), Wagga Wagga, NSW; Louise Pellerade, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Dr Shireen Sidhu, Head of Dermatology, The Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Dr Amelia Smit, Research Fellow – Melanoma and Skin Cancer, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW; Dr Tony Tonks, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Canberra Plastic Surgery, ACT. We also thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title. Thanks also to Sydney Melanoma Diagnostic Centre for providing the dysplastic naevus photograph on page 11, A/Prof Paul Fishburn for providing the sunspot photograph on page 10, A/Prof Andrew Miller for providing the age spot photograph on page 10, and Prof H Peter Soyer for providing the other photographs on pages 9–11.
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