Researchers have studied non-ablative fractional laser treatment for white skin cancer. The method seems to be suitable for the prevention of basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma.
New research suggests that simple laser treatments of the skin can help prevent the development of basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas to prevent. The work was carried out by a research team from Massachusetts General Hospital in the USA. the Results were in the journal Dermatologic Surgery published and show an easy-to-implement strategy to protect individual skin health.
What can the NAFL do?
Non-ablative fractional lasers (NAFL) deliver heat in a way that leaves the skin completely intact after treatment (unlike ablative fractional lasersthat remove the top layer of skin). They are currently used to treat scars, sun damaged skin, age spots and more; however, their effectiveness in preventing skin damage is unknown.
To investigate this, Dr. Mathew Avram, director of the Mass General Dermatology Laser & Cosmetic Center, and his colleagues consult patients who have had a history of successfully treating facial basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. These patients have a 35 percent risk of developing another cancer within 3 years and a 50 percent risk within 5 years.
Less skin cancer and more time in between
In the study, 43 patients received NAFL therapy and 52 patients served as controls and did not receive NAFL therapy. With a mean follow-up of more than 6 years, the rate of developing facial basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma was 20.9% in NAFL-treated patients and 40.4% in controls—the risk in NAFL-treated patients was about half as high.
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After accounting for age, gender and skin type, control patients were 2.65 times more likely to develop new facial cancer than patients treated with NAFL. In addition, the time to onset of cancer was significantly longer in patients treated with NAFL than in untreated patients.
Further studies should clarify mechanisms
“These results suggest that NAFL treatment may play an important role in protecting against later cancer,” says Avram. “While the mechanism of the protective effect of NAFL is not fully understood, it is hypothesized that NAFL treatment reduces the overall burden of photodamaged keratinocytes and may promote a wound healing response that confers a selective advantage on healthy skin cells.”
Avram notes that more studies are needed to more critically evaluate the role of NAFL in skin cancer prevention, determine the duration of the protective effect, and determine optimal treatment parameters. “Based on this research, patients can be recommended to undergo non-ablative laser treatment for the prevention of skin cancer if they are at risk or identify any abnormalities,” Avram said.
In addition, it is important to take your own precautions to reduce the risk of skin cancer, such as: B wearing sunscreen every day, wearing hats and protective clothing in the sun, and examining yourself closely and regularly for changes.
This post is based on a press release of Massachusetts General Hospital. You can find the original publication here and linked in the text.
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