Skin Cancer Treatment in Boston

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States and the incidence has increased dramatically over the last several decades.

Each year, there are approximately 1400 patients who develop melanoma in Massachusetts, which is 26% higher than the national average. Treatment of melanoma is primarily surgical with wide local excision and may also require a sentinel lymph node biopsy. Approximately 20% of all melanomas occur in the head and neck, so for skin cancer treatment Boston board certified plastic surgeons and fellowship trained craniofacial surgeons Dr. Taylor and Dr. Sullivan have particular expertise. Following wide excision, options for reconstruction include primary closure, secondary closure, skin grafting, or adjacent tissue transfer.

When reconstruction is performed immediately after excision with adjacent tissue transfer, we have published some of the lowest rates of recurrence in the literature. This success with treating melanoma is due to a close working team. Dr. Taylor and Dr. Sullivan are part of a cutaneous oncology team at Mount Auburn Hospital, which provides comprehensive treatment for melanoma and skin cancer, including Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, Surgical Oncology, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, and Pathology. The same model of care has become the standard for patients needing breast reconstruction.