Is laser treatment or surgical removal better for melanoma?

Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
Updated on April 01, 2025
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Regarding whether laser treatment or surgical excision is better for melanoma, the answer is clear: surgical excision is better. Melanoma originates from melanocytes and is not limited to one layer of the skin. Therefore, for melanoma of the skin, the infiltration depth can sometimes be profound, reaching the dermis layer. Laser treatment sometimes only covers a superficial depth, which cannot achieve complete removal.

Surgical excision can completely remove deeper infiltrative parts of the melanoma, and after the excision, complete tissues can be obtained for pathological examination, which helps in staging after the surgery and guides treatment post-surgery. Laser treatment does not offer these benefits. Therefore, current guidelines recommend surgical excision for the treatment of melanoma and do not recommend laser treatment.

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Is melanoma flat or raised?

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