Dr. Alfredo A. Santillan-Gomez, a fellowship-trained surgical oncologist serving the San Antonio area, performs cancer removal surgeries for:
Melanoma
Nonmelanoma skin cancers
Soft tissue sarcoma
Retroperitoneal sarcoma
He is careful to consider the most appropriate surgery based on the type of cancer being treated and where it’s located. He always works closely with the Texas Oncology team of medical and radiation oncologists, and if necessary, will work closely with a plastic surgeon for the best cosmetic results.
Melanoma removal - This is also called wide excision surgery. Dr. Santillan will remove not only the cancerous cells but also an area of normal skin around it. The amount of normal skin that needs to be removed depends on the thickness and location of the melanoma.
Nonmelanoma skin cancer removal
Skin graft after excision - sometimes skin cancer surgery results in a large amount of skin and tissue that has to be removed leaving a large wound. In this case skin from another part of the body can be removed and transplanted, or grafted, onto the skin around the wound.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy - This is done to determine whether the cancer spread to the lymphatic system
Lymphadenectomy - If needed, Dr. Alfredo Santillan-Gomez can remove lymph nodes where the cancer has spread to the neck, axilla, pelvis, or groin.
Isolated limb infusion - This melanoma treatment requires the cancer surgeon to temporarily block the flow of blood to a part of the body. High dose chemotherapy is then infused into that limb without it affecting other parts of the body. The patient is under anesthesia for this process and takes only a few hours.
