Optimising workflow and patient treatment in the Mohs clinic in Cardiff

University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff, is part of the Cardiff University School of Medicine, and serves a population of around 450,000 people. Built over four years, from 1966, the main hospital took its first patients in November 1971 and became one of the first UK hospitals to combine patient treatment with staff teaching. The Clinical Dermatology Service is the main dermatology referral centre for Wales, and has a well-deserved international reputation for teaching and research. Featuring four specifically designed operating theatres and a laboratory, the clinic offers Mohs micrographic surgery to patients with particular types of skin cancer.

Dr Richard Motley, senior dermatologist and leading Mohs surgeon, oversees the team of four consultants and one biomedical scientist. When he first set up the clinic in 1992 it was one of only three in the UK, and is still the only Mohs clinic in Wales. During busy-day surgeries, they will treat between four and seven patients. In most cases, these patients will leave the hospital on the same day, with 60% of cases requiring only one excision for complete tumour removal. Most importantly, typically they will leave cancer-free,¹ keeping true to the hospital mission of delivering outcomes that matter to people, caring for people and keeping them well. The nature of Mohs surgery also means that cancer recurrence rates are virtually zero.²

The team at Cardiff uses the Thermo Scientific Cryostar NX70 cryostat for the sectioning of excised tissue for examination. It finds that the cooling technology of the cryostat gives the necessary rapid freezing and section consistency essential as part of the Mohs process.