There are several different types of skin cancer that are not melanomas and the most common ones are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. There is also a skin condition called actinic keratosis that can sometimes develop into squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell cancers will not normally spread to other areas of the body while squamous cell carcinomas have a greater tendency to spread.
Factors Affecting the Treatment Option for Skin Cancer
The treatment options a medical practitioner will choose are dependent on several factors. The most important are:
- the type of cancer
- the size of the tumour
- the stage of the cancer (whether has it spread from the primary site)
- the location of the cancer
- the general health of the patient
The treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers has a high success rate and the earlier the cancer is detected the higher the success rate. Most skin cancers are treated by surgery but there are a number of non-surgical techniques in use.
Surgical Treatment Options for Skin Cancer
There are five main surgical options for skin cancer treatment. Most surgery can be done using a local anaesthetic in a doctor’s surgery.
- Excision. Sometimes the whole skin cancer is removed when taking a biopsy and no further treatment may be needed. If the cancer is large or spreading, it is cut from the skin along with some surrounding skin. If it is a large area it may require a skin graft.
- Moh’s micrographic surgery. Thin layers of tissue are removed and checked for cancer cells before the next thin layer is removed until no cancer cells are seen in the last layer removed. This is often used for skin cancer on the face as it removes as little normal tissue as possible.
- Curettage and cauterisation. The tumour is scooped out using a sharp spoon-shaped curette, then an electric current is used to stop bleeding and destroy any remaining cancer cells.
- Cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen is applied to the tumour. This is extremely cold and will freeze and destroy abnormal and cancerous cells.
- Amputation. In extreme cases, part of a finger or toe may need to be amputated to remove a skin cancer that has not been detected early enough.
Skin Cancer Non-surgical Treatment Options
Non-surgical skin cancer treatment can take the form of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, topical creams, special tea tree oil and clinical trials.
- Radiotherapy. Radiation therapy uses high energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells and is used on people medically unfit for surgery or where a cancer is hard to treat by surgery such as on an eyelid.
- Chemotherapy. Drugs are used to stop the growth of cancer cells by preventing them from dividing or by killing them. They can be taken by mouth or injected into the bloodstream but for skin cancer are normally applied to the skin.
- Photodynamic therapy. This combines laser and drugs which make cancer cells sensitive to light. When the laser light is directed on the cancer it activates the drug which kills the cancer but causes little damage to normal tissue.
- Topical creams. A cream called Imiquimod stimulates the immune system to recognise and destroy cancerous cells. Retinoids, which are related to vitamin A, are being studied in clinical trials for treating squamous cell carcinomas.
- Tea tree oil. University of Western Australia research has found a special formulation of tea tree oil can penetrate the skin, stop tumours from growing and make them shrink. Trials are still underway.
- Clinical Trials. Clinical trials test new treatments on patients and there are often new treatments being tested that need volunteers. The 1 July 2010 edition of Nature showed there was a stem cell type of cancer and treatments are now being developed to target it.
Overall, the range of surgical and non-surgical options for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer means the patient has a high rate of success. It is important to get a diagnosis as early as possible if a skin cancer is suspected.
You may also be interested in reading PLX4032 Targets Melanomas with BRAF Mutation
Sources:
Understanding Skin Cancer – Treatment
General Information About Skin Cancer
Jo Jackson - Jo is an Australian writer with an MBA and a B.Sc.(Hons) in botany. She has wanted to write since she first discovered books and currently ...
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