It is typically applied to the skin once or twice a day for several weeks. Topical chemotherapy means that an anti-cancer medicine is put directly on the skin (usually in a cream or ointment) rather than being taken by mouth or given as an IV into a vein.ĥ-fluorouracil (5-FU): The drug most often used in topical treatment of actinic keratoses, as well as some basal and squamous cell skin cancers, is 5-FU (with brand names such as Efudex, Carac, and Fluoroplex).

Topical chemotherapyĬhemotherapy (chemo) uses drugs that kill cancer cells. To learn more about this technique, see Photodynamic Therapy. Another possible side effect of PDT is that it can make a person’s skin very sensitive to sunlight for some time, so precautions may be needed to avoid severe burns. PDT can cause redness and swelling on the skin where it is used. Another option to activate the drug, especially when large areas need to be treated, is to have the person go out into the sunlight for a specific amount of time (known as daylight PDT).

A special light source is then focused on the tumor(s), which kills the cells. The drug collects in the tumor cells over several hours, where it is converted to a different chemical that makes the cells very sensitive to certain types of light. It might also be an option to treat some small, low risk basal cell skin cancers, as well as very early forms of squamous cell cancer (known as squamous cell carcinoma in situ, or Bowen disease).įor this treatment, a drug is applied to the skin as a gel or liquid. PDT can be used to treat actinic keratoses. It will leave a scar, and the area might have less color after treatment. The treated area may have fluid draining from it for a while, and it might take a month or two to heal. This is often repeated a couple of times in the same office visit.Īfter the dead area of skin thaws, it will swell, blister and crust over. It might also be used for squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen disease) or for small basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.įor this treatment, the doctor applies liquid nitrogen to the tumor to freeze and kill the cells. Cryotherapy is used most often for pre-cancerous skin conditions such as actinic keratosis.

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