Treatment and prognosis: Surgical excision, laser surgery, cryosurgery (freezing with liquid nitrogen), electrodesiccation (burning), and radiation therapy. Radiation therapy for large tumors, those involving areas difficult to access, or other surgical problems such as tumors on the eyelids. The earlier these cancers are identified, the less invasive the procedures will have to be. The 5-year survival rate for localized BCC is over 99%. The median survival for metastatic BCC is 8 months. Patients who have had one skin cancer have a 50% chance of developing another BCC at a different site within 5 years. Patients should be monitored for new lesions on an annual basis for life.
