Non-Surgical Skin Cancer Treatments
At the Skin Cancer Centre Coogee, we provide multiple treatment options for our patients depending on the type of cancer, its location on the body, and patient preference (in line with best medical practice).
Curettage & Cautery
Curettage and cautery involves treating a superficial skin cancer by scraping the skin cancer away using a special tool called a curette, and then “burning” the base of the wound using electricity to destroy any remaining cancerous cells. This leaves an area of skin like a deep graze, which can take between 1-3 weeks to heal completely depending on the body site and any underlying medical conditions. Our doctors will discuss whether this is an option for a skin cancer they find. This form of treatment is not suitable for all skin cancer types.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy involves the use of liquid nitrogen as a spray to rapidly freeze and treat an area of abnormal sun damaged or cancerous skin. Depending on what is treated, the freezing can take
between 5 and 20 seconds, occasionally up to 30 seconds. For certain skin cancers treated this way, the skin must be frozen, allowed to thaw out and then frozen again immediately afterwards. This allows a deeper and more effective treatment of early skin cancer. For most sun spots, a single freeze of around 10 seconds is all that is needed.
How does Cryotherapy work?
Cryotherapy freezes an area of abnormal sun damaged or cancerous skin down to -196 degrees C. This causes water in the skin cells to turn to ice, thereby expanding and destroying the frozen cells. The frozen cells cannot recover from the injury and die. Normal cells from the surrounding skin then start to multiply and migrate to replace the damaged cells with normal cells.
Does Cryotherapy hurt?
Cryotherapy causes a type of burn (cold burn). The process can cause a stinging sensation at the treatment site both during treatment and for several hours afterwards.
Topical creams to treat skin cancer
Various topical creams are available to treat certain types of skin cancers.
Imiquimod (Aldara) is a cream that acts like bait for the immune system, drawing immune cells to a skin cancer to destroy it. It can be used for superficial basal cell carcinomas in certain areas of the body only. Our doctors are trained in its use and will advise you if it is a suitable option for any skin cancers found.
5 F-U (Efudix) (5-fluorouracil) is a topical chemotherapy cream. It causes rapidly dividing cells (such as cancers) to enter forced cell death (apoptosis) when they divide. This means the cream can selectively destroy cancerous and pre-cancerous cells, sparing the normal surrounding skin. This treatment can be used for some early squamous cell carcinomas (SCC in-situ) and also for solar keratoses (a type of pre-malignant “sun spot”). Our doctors will discuss this if they feel it is likely to be an effective treatment option.