There are different types of treatment for patients with nonmelanoma skin
cancer and actinic keratosis.
Six types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Photodynamic therapy
Biologic therapy
Targeted therapy
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
Treatment for skin cancer may cause side effects.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
There are different types of treatment for patients with nonmelanoma skin
cancer and actinic keratosis.
Different types of treatment are available for patients with nonmelanoma skin
cancer
and actinic keratosis. Some treatments are standard
(the currently used treatment), and some
are being tested in clinical trials.
A treatment clinical trial is a research study
meant to help
improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients
with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the
standard treatment, the new
treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Six types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
One or more of the following surgical
procedures may be used to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer or actinic keratosis:
Mohs micrographic surgery
: The tumor
is cut from the skin in thin layers. During surgery, the edges of the tumor and each layer of tumor removed are viewed through a microscope
to check for cancer cells. Layers continue to be removed until no more cancer cells are seen. This type of surgery removes as little normal tissue
as possible and is often used to remove skin cancer
on the face. Mohs surgery. A surgical procedure to remove skin cancer in several steps. First, a thin layer of cancerous tissue is removed. Then, a second thin layer of tissue is removed and viewed under a microscope to check for cancer cells. More layers are removed one at a time until the tissue viewed under a microscope shows no remaining cancer. This type of surgery is used to remove as little normal tissue as possible and is often used to remove skin cancer on the face.
Simple excision
: The tumor is cut from the skin along with some of the normal skin around it.
Shave excision: The abnormal
area is shaved off the surface of the skin with a small blade.
Electrodesiccation
and curettage
: The tumor is cut from the skin with a curette
(a sharp, spoon-shaped tool). A needle-shaped electrode
is then used to treat the area with an electric current that stops the bleeding and destroys cancer cells that remain around the edge of the wound. The process may be repeated one to three times during the surgery to remove all of the cancer.
Cryosurgery
: A treatment that uses an instrument to freeze and destroy abnormaltissue, such as carcinoma in situ. This type of treatment is also called cryotherapy.Cryosurgery. An instrument with a nozzle is used to spray liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue.
Laser surgery
: A surgical procedure that uses a laser
beam (a narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a surface lesion
such as a tumor.
Dermabrasion
: Removal of the top layer of skin using a rotating wheel or small particles to rub away skin cells.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy
is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays
or other types of radiation
to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy:
The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type of cancer being treated. External radiation therapy is used to treat skin cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
is a cancer treatment that uses drugs
to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected
into a vein
or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity
such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). Chemotherapy for nonmelanoma skin cancer and actinic keratosis is usually topical
(applied to the skin in a cream or lotion). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the condition
being treated.
Photodynamic therapy
(PDT) is a cancer treatment that uses a drug and a certain type of laser light to kill cancer cells. A drug that is not active until it is exposed to light is injected into a vein. The drug collects more in cancer cells than in normal cells. For skin cancer, laser light is shined onto the skin and the drug becomes active and kills the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy causes little damage to healthy tissue.
Biologic therapy
Biologic
therapy
is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system
to fight
cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost,
direct, or restore the body’s natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or immunotherapy.
Interferon
and imiquimod
are biologic agents
used to treat skin cancer. Interferon (by injection) may be used to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Topical
imiquimod therapy (a cream applied to the skin) may be used to treat some small basal cell carcinomas.
Targeted therapy
is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to attack cancer cells. Targeted therapies usually cause less harm to normal cells than chemotherapy or radiation therapy do.
Targeted therapy with a signal transduction inhibitor
is used to treat basal cell carcinoma. Signal transduction inhibitors block signals that are passed from one molecule
to another inside a cell. Blocking these signals may kill cancer cells. Vismodegib
and sonidegib
are signal transduction inhibitors used to treat basal cell carcinoma.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial
may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring
(coming back) or reduce the side effects
of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. See the Treatment Options section that follows for links to current treatment clinical trials. These have been retrieved from NCI's
listing of clinical trials.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose
the cancer or to find out the stage
of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition
has changed or if the cancer has recurred
(come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up
tests or check-ups.
Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are likely to recur (come back), usually within 5 years, or new tumors may form. Talk to your doctor about how often you should have your skin checked for signs
of cancer.
CancerHelp Online® is a patient education
program of The CancerHelp Institute, official Content Distribution Partner of
the National Cancer Institute.
