Electrodesiccation and curettage (EDC, ED & C, or ED+C) is a medical procedure commonly performed by dermatologists, surgeons and general practitioners for the treatment of basal cell cancers and squamous cell cancers of the skin.
In the case of skin cancers, the cautery and electrodesiccation is usually performed three times, or until the surgeon is confident that reasonable margins have been achieved.
Like standard excision, the wider the surgical margin, the higher the cure rate.
If recurrence occur, rapid diagnosis is possible as the roots are exposed to the surface, and not buried by surgical closure methods (flaps, etc.).
[6][7] As a surgical ulcer is created and is larger than the original tumor, healing time may be delayed and subsequent scarring obvious.