Treatment with Image-Guided Superficial Radiotherapy (Image-Guided SRT), one of the most advanced non-surgical technology for the treatment of keratinocytic carcinoma (KC) of the skin, as a subgroup of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) which includes common skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), yields a 99.3% cure rate in treating basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
This is the conclusion based on the results of a study published in the June 2021 issue of Oncology and Therapy, one of the largest multi-institutional studies of superficial radiotherapy for the treatment of these cancers.[1]
Highly prevalent
Non-melanoma skin cancer or NMSC is a highly prevalent and rapidly increasing condition, with an estimated annual 2012 incidence in the United States of 5.5 million tumors in 3.3 million affected patients, an increase of 35% from 2006. These relatively common cancers can cause significant morbidity.[2]
In the study, researchers evaluated the medical records of 1,632 patients with a combined 2,917 stage 0-2 lesions treated with Image-Guided SRT, a technology that eradicates skin cancer using low levels of x-rays combined with the modern radiotherapy protocols used by SkinCure Oncology Practice Partners. Of the lesions that were treated with Image-Guided SRT, 2,897, or 99.3 percent, did not have evidence of disease at the patients’ last follow-up visit. The mean duration of follow-up was 69.8 weeks. Fifty-seven percent of subjects were male and 43 percent were female, all with a mean age of 73.2 years.
Limited Treatment Options
Prior to the availability of Image-Guided SRT, individuals with these cancers had limited treatment options, including cryosurgery, earlier versions of superficial radiotherapy without imaging capabilities, and Mohs surgery. The latter invasive surgical procedure, introduced more than 80 years ago, requires anesthesia, use of a scalpel, and post-surgical suture/stitch removal, which can result in scarring around the treated area and require subsequent reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. Alternatively, Image-Guided SRT delivers a precise and calibrated dose of x-rays that destroy malignant cancer cells without surgery while preserving healthy tissue surrounding the treated areas.
“The results of this study demonstrate that Image-Guided SRT should be considered as a first-line treatment option for early-stage basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma,” noted study co-author Christopher R. Shea, MD, dermatologist, and professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.
“This significant study affirms what we have been seeing in clinical practices across the country that offer Image-Guided SRT as an option to their patients,” explained SkinCure Oncology co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Kerwin J. Brandt.
“This next-generation skin cancer treatment, when coupled with our comprehensive program, is a gamechanger in dermatology, and we are honored to facilitate its use for the benefit of those millions of people who are diagnosed with skin cancer every year,” Brandt concluded.
Reference
[1] Yu L, Oh C, Shea CR. The Treatment of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer with Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy: An Analysis of 2917 Invasive and In Situ Keratinocytic Carcinoma Lesions. Oncol Ther. 2021 Jun;9(1):153-166. doi: 10.1007/s40487-021-00138-4. Epub 2021 Feb 5. PMID: 33547631; PMCID: PMC8140015. [Article]
[2] Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Feldman SR, Coldiron BM. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer (keratinocyte carcinomas) in the U.S. population, 2012. JAMA Dermatol. 2015;151(10):1081–6. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.1187.
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