The UAB Skin Cancer program offers patients battling skin cancer a multidisciplinary approach to care. Our physicians are leaders in their fields and provide the best skin cancer treatment and education available.
As part of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, we handle thousands of skin cancer cases each year for the treatment of melanoma, high-risk basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and other rare skin tumors, while also offering access to specialists in other areas, should the need arise. Because our physicians are specialists in the area of skin cancer treatment and research, they provide care that is second to none. Our Dermtopathologist offers specialized care in both dermatology and pathology, offering our patients multidisciplinary care second to none.

Our Services

The UAB skin cancer program provides comprehensive care for all types of skin cancers, and offers patients skin cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment through:

• Pigmented Lesion Clinic – Through special dermatoscopes, specialists in the pigmented lesion clinic can more closely monitor moles, finding melanomas faster and often reducing the number of biopsies.
• Cutaneous Lymphoma Care - We offer comprehensive care for patients with cutaneous lymphomas, including access to light therapy, photopheresis, radiation and multiple clinical trials.
• Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology – Our Cutaneous Surgery and Oncology Program has a national reputation for treating skin cancers of all types. We handle 3,000 patient visits each year for treatment of melanoma, high-risk basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and the entire spectrum of various rarer tumors.

Our Team of Experts
The UAB skin cancer program has a team of physicians dedicated to treating, and ultimately, curing, skin cancer. Because our physicians are skin cancer specialists, you can rest assured you’re receiving the best care available. We work with specialists in other areas of care when necessary to give you a comprehensive approach to treatment.

Search our physician directory to learn more about our team.

Location
The Kirklin Clinic, 3rd and 4th Floor
2000 6th Ave, South
Birmingham, AL 35233

For scheduling information, please contact the Department of Dermatology at (205) 996-SKIN (7546)

Symptoms and Signs
There are three main types of skin cancer, all with varying symptoms and signs associated with them:

• Basal-cell carcinoma
  • A flat, scaley red patch
  • A small, smooth, shiny or waxy bump
  • A flat, flesh-colored or brown scar-like legion
  • A brown or black raised bump
• Squamous cell carcinoma
  • A flat, scaley red patch (this may look like a skin rash)
  • A firm, red nodule on your face, neck, hands or arms
  • A red or brown scaley skin patch
  • A flat legion with a scaley, crusty surface
• Melanoma
  • A large, brownish spot with darker speckles
  • A simple mole that changes size, color or feel
  • A small legion with an irregular border
  • A shiny, firm, dome-shaped bump
  • Dark lesions on the soles of your feet, your palms, fingertips or toes, or on mucous membranes lining your mouth, nose, vagina and anus
  • A mole that itches or causes pain

Diagnosis and Treatment
While treatment for skin cancer varies according to the type, size, depth and location of the infected area, it is most often treated by removing the infected area of skin, and possibly part of the normal skin around it. Other options for treatment may include:

• Freezing skin tissue with liquid nitrogen
• Excisional surgery, where the doctor cuts out the infected area
• Laser therapy, in which a strong beam of light vaporizes the skin cancer’s growth
• Mohs surgery, in which a skin cancer specialist, like the ones at UAB, remove skin layer by layer until no infected cells remain.
• Radiation therapy is used when surgery for infected cells isn’t an option
• Chemotherapy can also be used to kill skin cancer cells

Our Clinical Trials
UAB’s skin cancer program is constantly working to find better treatments and a cure for skin cancer. Talk to your doctor to see if you are a candidate for one of UAB’s skin cancer clinical trials.