Do all skin cancers have to be removed?
Published in Health & Fitness
Q. Do small skin cancers that are not melanoma still need to be removed, or is it safe to just watch them and leave them alone?
A. It’s true that melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, because it can spread throughout the body. You definitely need to have any melanoma removed, to try to excise it before it spreads. Two other types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, are more common than melanoma. They spread only rarely, but they do grow larger. Not only is this disfiguring, but delay in removing them makes it harder to remove them with only a minimal scar.
So, yes, most nonmelanoma skin cancers are “benign,” in that they are unlikely to metastasize (spread) and pose a threat to your life. But that doesn’t mean it’s fine to ignore them. They should always be removed.
©2026 Harvard University. For terms of use, please see https://www.health.harvard.edu/terms-of-use. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Comments