Treating Precancerous Skin Lesions With Fewer Side Effects

Precancerous skin lesions can be treated with topical targeted therapies to significantly reduce their size and inhibit the growth of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of cancer.

Two treatments—small-molecule kinase inhibitors known as dasatinib and BEZ-235—were associated with fewer side effects compared to 5-fluorouracil, the first-line topical agent that destroys precancerous and cancer cells, but is known to have adverse side effects.

Lesions known as actinic keratoses and squamous cell carcinoma in situ are known precursors to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Every year, 700,000 new ones are reported to dermatologists in the United States, which incur treatment costs of about $1.6 billion. Today, many of the topical drugs used to treat them include 5-fluorouracil, imiquimod, diclofenac, and ingenol mebutate, but these agents have limitations. Some cause inflammation, have suboptimal results, or are very costly.

SOURCES- University of Pennsylvania

14 thoughts on “Treating Precancerous Skin Lesions With Fewer Side Effects”

  1. With moderation. Otherwise it increases your
    risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer, an avoidable
    nuisance. I think that everybody should read that
    book.

  2. Actually, as I understand it, sun exposure seems to have positive effects quite apart from vitamin D in any of its forms. Maybe due to Nitric oxide production.

  3. Read “The vitamin D solution” by Michael F. Holick M.D. .It has plenty of info for lowering
    your risk of melanoma and other cancers.
    Avoiding sunlight now actually increases your risk of melanoma.

  4. It’s not just blue light, it’s special drugs that are activated by blue light. You need the drug and the light.

  5. Very sorry to hear about your loss. Metastatic melanoma is certainly no joke. Thankfully there are a lot of biologically active agents that are showing promise.

  6. Certainly not going to argue with that; My sister died of melanoma. Had one caught one year, and surgically removed, and a couple years later she was found to be so riddled with secondary tumors that it was basically hopeless.

    That’s why I’m so diligent about seeing the dermatologist regularly!

    Any moles I develop will be new moles. For some reason I’ve never developed any. Freckles up the wazoo, and I’ve had psoriasis most of my life, but no moles.

  7. Same here. The important thing though to remember-
    Squamous cell carcinomas are usually from prolonged, low-levels of UV intensity.
    Melanomas can come from brief, high intensity UV bursts, decades prior.
    Just food for thought to keep vigilant of any new “moles” that are changing. Speaking as a pathologist, melanomas are not something to screw around with.

  8. Mostly, yes. I got a lot of bad sunburns as a child, (Nobody was worried about skin cancer back then, the main concern was just the pain.) and they’re coming back to haunt me.

  9. My dermatologist mostly relies on liquid nitrogen and a cotton swab. I wonder why this wasn’t mentioned? As far as I can tell, it’s usual go-to treatment for skin lesions.

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