The skin is our largest organ, our first line of defense, and the most visible part of who we are. Yet, when it comes to cancer, this visibility is a paradox. Skin cancer is often dismissed as “minor” or “easy to fix,” a misconception that can lead to dangerous delays in treatment.
The reality is that skin cancer ranges from the common and curable to the aggressive and lethal. At Liv Hospital, the approach to dermatological oncology is built on this duality: absolute precision for the non-lethal types (to preserve appearance) and aggressive, systemic warfare for the lethal types (to protect life).
Located in Istanbul, a city bathed in sunlight, Liv Hospital has developed a center of excellence that treats skin cancer not just as a cosmetic nuisance but as a serious oncological condition requiring a multidisciplinary approach.
A skin cancer diagnosis often brings a whirlwind of appointments, procedures, and hospital visits. Being prepared can ease some of that stress, especially for patients traveling internationally or undergoing surgery. Simple planning—such as packing your hospital bag with essentials for comfort and recovery—can make the treatment experience more manageable and focused on healing.
The Digital Detective
The best way to survive skin cancer is to catch it before it becomes cancer. The human eye, even the trained eye of a doctor, has limits. Liv Hospital transcends these limits with Digital Dermatoscopy and Mole Mapping.
For high-risk patients, those with fair skin, a history of sunburns, or more than 50 mole,s standard check-ups are insufficient.
- The Technology: The hospital uses advanced digital imaging systems (such as FotoFinder) to create a “map” of the patient’s entire skin surface.
- The Surveillance: Artificial Intelligence analyzes these images over time, detecting microscopic changes in color, border, or symmetry that are invisible to the naked eye.
This allows for the excision of dysplastic nevi (pre-cancerous moles) long before they transform into invasive melanoma, shifting the focus from “treatment” to “prevention.”
Advanced technology alone is not enough—outcomes depend heavily on experience, specialization, and a coordinated care model. For patients seeking early detection and precision treatment, choosing the right skin cancer clinic can be the most critical decision they make, directly influencing both survival and quality of life.
The Surgical Gold Standard: Mohs Micrographic Surgery
For Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) the most common forms of skin cancer, the challenge is rarely survival; it is disfigurement. These cancers often occur on the face, nose, ears, or eyelids.
The standard “wide excision” (cutting out the tumor with a large safety margin) often leaves significant scars. Liv Hospital avoids this by employing Mohs Micrographic Surgery, widely considered the gold standard for facial skin cancers.
How Mohs Works:
- Layer by Layer: The surgeon removes the visible tumor and a very thin layer of tissue.
- Instant Lab Work: While the patient waits, this tissue is immediately frozen, stained, and examined under a microscope.
- The Map: If cancer cells are found at the edge, the surgeon goes back and removes only the specific area where the cancer remains.
The Result: This technique offers the highest cure rate (up to 99% for primary BCC) while sacrificing as little healthy tissue as possible. It is a procedure that prioritizes the patient’s face as much as their pathology report.
The Invisible Blade: Brachytherapy (Leipzig Applicator)
Not every patient is a candidate for surgery. Elderly patients, those with poor healing, or those with tumors in cosmetically devastating locations (like the tip of the nose) may require a non-surgical option.
Liv Hospital’s Radiation Oncology department utilizes High-Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy with the Leipzig Applicator.
- The Method: Instead of beaming radiation from across the room (which can damage deep tissues), a specialized applicator is placed directly on the skin lesion.
- The Benefit: It delivers a potent dose of radiation to the skin surface while sparing the underlying bone and cartilage. This results in excellent cosmetic outcomes without the need for a scalpel.
The Lethal Threat: Melanoma Management
When the diagnosis is Melanoma, the conversation shifts, melanoma is unpredictable and can spread (metastasize) rapidly to the brain and lungs.
At Liv Hospital, the management of Melanoma is aggressive and guided by the Multidisciplinary Tumor Council.
- Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy: Before any major surgery, surgeons inject a radioactive tracer to find the “sentinel” node, the first lymph node where cancer cells would travel. If this node is clean, the patient may be spared the need to remove all lymph nodes (lymphadenectomy), thereby avoiding the risk of permanent arm or leg swelling (lymphedema).
- Systemic Warfare: For advanced melanoma, surgery is not enough. Liv Hospital utilizes Immunotherapy (Checkpoint Inhibitors like Pembrolizumab or Nivolumab) which unleashes the body’s immune system to hunt down cancer cells.
- Targeted Therapy: The pathology team tests for BRAF mutations. If positive, patients can receive oral targeted drugs that block the genetic driver of the cancer.
A Realistic Note: While these therapies have improved survival rates, metastatic melanoma remains a formidable disease. The goal at this stage is often disease control rather than a guaranteed cure, and Liv Hospital’s oncologists are transparent about the arduous nature of this journey.
The Final Step
Curing the cancer is only half the battle. The other half is restoring the patient’s confidence.
The Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery department is involved from day one. Whether it is a simple flap closure after Mohs surgery or a complex skin graft after a large melanoma excision, the goal is “social reintegration.” The medical team understands that a scar on the face is not just a mark of surgery; it is a mark on one’s identity.
Vigilance is the Only Cure
Skin cancer is the only cancer we can see with our own eyes, yet it is often the one we ignore the longest. At Liv Hospital, the tools for victory exist from the microscopic precision of Mohs surgery to the genetic intelligence of immunotherapy.
However, technology cannot replace vigilance. The hospital’s message to international patients is clear: The sun is permanent, but your skin is not. Treat it with the respect and the protection it deserves.
