Here’s everything you need to know about skin cancer treatment, including how curable it is.
Is Skin Cancer Curable?
“Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, but it is also the easiest to cure, if diagnosed and treated early,” says Vivian Bucay, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in San Antonio, Texas, and a spokesperson for the Skin Cancer Foundation. “When allowed to progress, however, skin cancer can result in disfigurement and even death.” The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that everyone practice monthly head-to-toe self-examination of their skin. “Anything new, changing or not healing within several weeks could be cause for concern, so if you spot something on your skin make an appointment with your dermatologist right away,” Bucay continues. “See a dermatologist annually for a professional skin exam, so that they can find any new or changing lesions that might be cancerous or precancerous.” The bottom line: You can have a good prognosis if you get treatment. And more good news? There are more cutting-edge treatment options than ever. Here’s everything you need to know to talk with your doctor about which methods might be right for you.
Skin Cancer Treatment Options
Here are some widely available modes, to start. These treatments are effective tools for the treatment of basal cell and squamous skin cancers.
Cryosurgery. Pre-cancerous lesions and small, early-stage skin cancers can be frozen with liquid nitrogen—the skin then comes off when thawing happens.Excision. Cancerous tissue is cut out with a surrounding amount of healthy skin.Mohs surgery. This type of excision procedure is best for big, recurring or difficult-to-treat skin cancers. A tumor is removed from your skin growth layer by layer; each layer is evaluated under a microscope, to make sure all of the cancer has been removed.Curettage and electrodesiccation or cryotherapy. Most of a growth is removed—then any remaining cancer cells are scraped away using a circular blade and an an electric needle destroys any remaining cancer cells. Liquid nitrogen can also be used in this kind of scenario.Radiation therapy. Helpful when skin cancer can’t be completely excised.Chemotherapy. For cancers limited to the top layer of skin, your doctor may recommend a cream or lotion containing anti-cancer agents. Traditional chemo may be used for cancer that’s spread.Photodynamic therapy. A laser treatment that eliminates skin cancer cells, used with drug treatment.
Cutting-Edge Biological Therapy/Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively. This happens through the use of specific drugs. Immunotherapy can be very effective in treating melanoma, via several types:
Immune checkpoint inhibitors.New drugs have shown a lot of promise in treating advanced melanomas. “Checkpoint” areas in the immune system are turned on (or off) to start an immune response against the cancer. PD-1 inhibitors. IV-administered drugs that stop PD-1, a protein on the T cells in your immune system. By doing this, PD-1 inhibitors boost your immune response to shrink tumors.CTLA-4 inhibitor. Another drug treatment that boosts the immune response in your body. This drug blocks CTLA-4, another protein on T cells, and may be helpful for treating tumors that can’t be completely excise by surgery, or melanoma that’s spread to other parts of your body.Cytokines (interferon-alfa and interleukin-2). Cytokines are proteins in the body that boost the immune system–these IV drugs are versions of cytokines, like nterferon-alfa and interleukin-2 (IL-2), and are sometimes used in patients with early-stage melanoma. Advanced melanomas may also be treated with both interferon-alfa and IL-2 can shrink advanced melanomas. Following surgery for some melanomas, these drugs may prevent a recurrence in another part of the body. Oncolytic virus therapy.Some viruses can be reformulated to infect and kill cancer cells—they’re called asoncolytic viruses. Along with killing the cells directly, the viruses can also alert the immune system to attack the cancer cells. Also, talimogene laherparepvec is an oncolytic virus that can target inoperable melanoma in the skin or lymph nodes.Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine.BCG is a germ that can activate the immune system by being injected straight into a tumor.
Additional Drug Therapy for Skin Cancer
Imiquimod cream. Imiquimod (Zyclara) is a drug that kick-starts a local immune response against cancer cells. It can be effective when used for treating very early stage melanoma on your face, and can also be used for some melanomas that have spread along the skin. Not all doctors prescribe it because it can cause reactions in some patients, so discuss this option carefully with your doctor to see if it might be right for you. Also, talk to your doctor about clinical trials. Innovations in research are constantly bringing hope to patients with skin cancer. Ask your physician to inform you about and recommend trials that might be beneficial to you. Be proactive, and you give yourself the best possible shot at beating skin cancer. Keep tabs on your skin with one of these skin cancer apps recommended by doctors.
Sources
Vivian Bucay, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in San Antonio, Texas, and a spokesperson for the Skin Cancer Foundation
