Acid skin peel, and laser resurfacing, all remove precancerous skin growths and slow skin cancer -- but patients prefer the peel.
Precancerous growths, which are small areas of discrete roughness to the skin, come from too much sun. Particularly when a person has a lot of them, they tend to become squamous cell carcinomas: skin cancer.
Doctors often burn off these growths, called actinic keratoses, with liquid nitrogen. But there's evidence of other ways of removing them work at least as well, and they slow the development of skin cancer.
These techniques were compared in 24 men. The patients had an average age of 73; all but three had previously had skin cancers removed. Five similar patients served as an untreated comparison group.
Before treatment, the 24 men had dozens of precancerous facial growths. The researchers treated the men with laser resurfacing, or an acid skin peel. All treatments worked, reducing the number of precancerous skin growths 89% for the skin peel, and 92% for the laser. The treatments also seemed to slow the development of new skin cancers.
Left untreated, the patients would be expected to develop 1.7 new facial skin cancers a year. That's close to what happened in the untreated comparison group. But the treated patients had only 0.04 to 0.22 new skin cancers per year.
In the acid peel arm, one cancer per 26.1 years would be expected, compared with 1 cancer per 6.79 and 4.77 years in the laser arms. The untreated comparison group had 1.57 new cancers per year: that is, one new cancer every eight months. The patients who got the acid peel were much more compliant with treatment, and had fewer side effects than those treated with laser.
Repeated treatments may be needed. In any case, patients with precancerous facial growths must get careful follow-up care. Because the study had several limitations -- including its small size, infrequent use of sunscreen, and a control group that was not randomly picked -- the researchers warn that their findings must be confirmed in larger studies.
Still, of interest is to note that there are alternative treatments to skin cancer, and even though reasonably invasive, they show fewer long-term side effects than the traditional approaches of chemotherapy or burning.
Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment
During several tests conducted on laboratory mice with advanced mesothelioma tumors, a skin cancer cream known as Imiquimod was combined with an anti-cancer drug, antiCD40. The two were applied to the mesothelioma mice and, according to researchers, 50 percent of the mice receiving the treatment therapy went into remission following treatment.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Australia, is considered "breakthrough" according to a PerthNow news article. Additionally, scientists feel that this potentially new mesothelioma treatment may be more readily available than other treatments being researched and tested, as one of the drugs is "already commercially available and the other is currently being tested in clinical trials," according to lead researchers of the study.
Mesothelioma Defined
Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects thousands of individuals worldwide. Unfortunately, mesothelioma cancer was once far more rare than it is today, and it continues to grow among number of individuals diagnosed. Mesothelioma cancer is caused by exposure to varied levels of asbestos fibers and dust.
In the 20th century, vermiculite and asbestos were mined predominately for the construction industry, which has now lead to many within the industry to have a diagnosis associated with mesothelioma.
There are currently no known successful treatments for mesothelioma cancer, which ravages the internal organs for 10 to 30 years in a dormant state, after which point signs and symptoms become apparent and treatment options are often sited as dismal to a victim's outcome.
Patients of mesothelioma cancer are advised to speak with a medical professional immediately and those who suspect they may suffer from asbestos-related conditions can also suggested to contact a medical professional and experienced mesothelioma attorney for additional information.
Diagnosing Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a growing condition in not only America, but around the world. A mesothelioma diagnosis is often a grim and bitter situation for not only a victim, but for family members and friends.
It is important for an individual to attempt to take control of their condition by learning as to when initial asbestos exposure may have occurred. By determining this, an individual increases their chances of receiving monetary compensation for their disease through the development of a mesothelioma lawsuit.
Such compensation can assist a victim with paying for costly medical treatments including chemotherapy treatments, which can range in the thousands. Speaking with a knowledgeable mesothelioma lawyer can provide insightful information as to a potential lawsuit.
Both Dr Laurence Magne & Peter Kent are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Peter Kent has sinced written about articles on various topics from Exhaust, Fitness and Health. Mesothelioma is a serious cancer that can be detrimental to any victim, which is why visiting or. Peter Kent's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.
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