Curettage, electrosurgery and skin cancer

The scientific literature is replete with reports extolling the virtues of curettage and electrosurgery in the treatment of skin disease. Published cure rates for selected skin cancers consistently equal those for other treatment modalities, including scalpel excision. Despite this, curettage is often overlooked as a first line treatment for skin cancer. We review the evidence-based literature for patient selection criteria and curettage and electrosurgery techniques.