New, Non-Surgical Treatment for Skin Cancer

Basal cell carcinomas are the most common type of skin cancer — and unlike melanoma, they’re not fatal. To-date, most dermatologists are recommending either cutting out the impacted tissue, or in some cases, freezing it off. Both of which are considered  minor surgeries.

A new procedure, electronic bracytherapy, or eBx for short, is resulting in quite a bit of interest from both patients and doctors. In this method, a radiation device is held a few inches from the problematic spot — which can be more appealing for those with carcinomas on sensitive areas of the body, such as the face, ears and nose.

More than 3.6 million Americans develop some type of carcinoma every year, so this new process will probably continue to spark interest. While the American Academy of Dermatologists is still contending that we don’t have enough substantive data to make a determination on the long-term effectiveness of this new treatment, it’s appeal is understandable.

Full article
http://www.wsj.com/articles/skin-cancer-removal-with-miniaturized-radiation-1428358712?tesla=y

Curated from WSJ