Ultrasound Imaging Treatment for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Exhibits 99% Cure Rate
Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy (IGSRT) directs low-level x-rays to specific areas, killing cancer cells without bleeding, pain, surgical scarring, or the need for reconstructive surgery.
A nonsurgical treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancer is now available in Kentucky and Alaska, SkinCure Oncology recently announced.1,2 Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy (IGSRT) is the only treatment for basal and squamous cell carcinoma that uses ultrasound imaging to direct low-level x-rays to specific areas, killing cancer cells without bleeding, pain, surgical scarring, or the need for reconstructive surgery.
The GentleCure treatment has exhibited a 99.3% cure rate for early-stage nonmelanoma, making it just as effective as surgical treatment.
“In the past, the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancers mostly meant a patient undergo Mohs surgery. Now due to technological innovation, Image-guided Superficial Radiation Therapy is available as a nonsurgical option for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancers. IGSRT has a cure rate of 99% for appropriately selected skin cancers which is the same cure rate as Mohs surgery. This treatment allows patients to be treated without pain, avoids the need for reconstructive surgery and leaves the patient without a residual scar,” Denise T. Dickinson, MD, PSC, board-certified dermatologist in Louisville, Kentucky, told Dermatology Times®. She added, “However, IGSRT is not appropriate for all nonmelanoma skin cancers and Mohs surgery is still an important treatment option in some clinical scenarios. I think it is very important to give patients all of their options, both nonsurgical and surgical, so they can make an informed decision about their nonmelanoma skin cancer.”
Dickinson’s practice is the first office in Kentucky to offer IGSRT treatment to patients. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared August 28 to September 1 Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Awareness Week, emphasizing the importance of patient education regarding skin cancer.
In Alaska, Capstone Dermatology is the first practice to offer SkinCure Oncology’s IGSRT to Alaskans. "Some 6,300 Alaskans are expected to be diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer this year alone, and it is absolutely essential for them to have information on all available treatment options, both surgical and nonsurgical, so they can make informed decisions about their care,” said Blake Galler, DO, board-certified dermatologist in Wasilla, Alaska, in a news release. "Image-Guided SRT, the most exciting technological innovation in dermatology today, is the new standard of care for early stage nonmelanoma skin cancer. We call it the GentleCure experience, and we are proud to be the first in Alaska to offer it."
More than 60,000 patients have been treated with IGSRT from SkinCure Oncology in the last 6 years by approximately 500 physicians nationwide. “Our goal is to educate patients so they understand they have options in treating basal and squamous cell carcinomas, especially when the lesion is in a cosmetically sensitive location, such as the face. Surveys of patients who have undergone Image-Guided SRT have shown a 99.8% patient satisfaction rate,” said Kerwin Brandt, chief executive officer of SkinCure Oncology in Chicago, Illinois.
This article originally appeared on Dermatology Times.
