This is a valuable procedure for lesions suspected to be early cancers such as Basal Cell Carcinomas or Bowen’s disease. To test for malignancy, the physician takes a biopsy specimen, either by shaving off the top of the lesion with a scalpel or scraping it off with a curette under local anesthetics. The underlying cells and bleeding points are then cauterized with an electro-cautery needle. Then the curette is then used to remove the base of the lesion. The procedure is repeated twice to ensure all the cancer cells are removed.
