Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Skin Cancer, Nonmelanoma - Other Treatment
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
Radiation therapy for nonmelanoma skin cancer may be recommended for people who may not be able to have surgery because of the location of the skin cancer. Radiation therapy may also be a treatment choice if age or other health conditions make surgery too risky. Radiation therapy is most often used for older adults. It may lead to other skin cancers in younger people as they age.
Other treatments for people who cannot have surgery or radiation include:
- Fluorouracil (5-FU) or imiquimod creams or lotions, which are applied to the skin.
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which uses medicines and a special light to treat skin cancer on or very close to the surface of the skin.
- Cryosurgery. Cryosurgery destroys the skin cancer by freezing it with liquid nitrogen.
These three treatments may also work well for people who have low-risk shallow cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen's disease) or low-risk superficial basal cell carcinoma.1
Lasers, such as the carbon dioxide laser, may be used to treat superficial basal cell carcinomas and actinic keratoses. Lasers use an intense beam of light as a scalpel to remove skin cancer.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: October 1, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
