Surgery Center Services: Mohs Micrographic Surgery   Mary Farley, MD and Allan Harrington, MD In the past, Mohs Micrographic Surgery was sometimes called chemosurgery or Mohs chemosurgery.  Originally, chemicals were applied to the skin during the surgery and hence, the name Chemosurgery.  Chemicals are now rarely used but the name chemosurgery continues to be associated with the procedure. After the removal of the visible portion of the tumor by excision or curettage (debulking), there are two basic steps to each Mohs Micrographic Surgery stage.  First, a thin layer of tissue is surgically excised from the base of the defect created by the debulking.  Next, this tissue is processed and examined underneath the microscope.  On the microscopic slides, the physician examines the entire bottom surface and outside edges of the tissue removed.  The tissue has been marked to orient top to bottom and left to right.  If any tumor is seen during the microscopic examination, its location is established and a thin layer of additional tissue is excised from the involved area.  The microscopic examination is then repeated.  The entire process is repeated until no tumor is seen on the microscopic examination.  Mohs Micrographic Surgery allows for the selective removal of the areas involved with the skin cancer with the preservation of as much of the surrounding normal tissue as is possible.  Because of this complete systematic microscopic search for the “roots” of the skin cancer, Mohs Micrographic Surgery offers a 97% - 99% chance for complete removal of cancer without an excessive loss of normal tissue.  As a result, Mohs Micrographic Surgery is very useful for large tumors, tumors with indistinct borders, tumors near vital functional or cosmetic structures, and tumors for which other forms of therapy have failed.  However, no surgeon or technique can guarantee a 100% chance of cure. If you want to know more about the Mohs Micrographic Surgery or Mohs chemosurgery you can contact our offices in Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Prince Frederick or Leonardtown Maryland, where we will assist you on how to schedule a consultation and answer all the questions you may have.