What is the benefit of radiation for skin cancer?
skin cancer can be treated by all from chemotherapy to surgery and radiation. Treatment recommended doctors depend on the type of skin cancer and on the site of cancer. Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is one of the most effective means of destruction of skin cancer cells. The primary benefit of radiation of skin cancer is that it can target cancer cells to almost any area of the body. Radiation therapy also has the advantage that it is an outpatient procedure with fewer risks than other treatment methods.
Radiation therapy is designed to damage the genetic material of skin cancer cells and cause cellular death. Success of skin cancer radiation depends on the size and classification of skin cancer. Some types of skin cancer will respond better to treatment, including spinocellular cell cancer, basal cell carcinoma, kapos sarcoma and skin lymphomas. Radiation therapy can even be used in conjunction with another method of treatment for effective targeting of skin cancer such as melanoma that are less citeliVé for radiation.
radiation is particularly useful when skin cancer is on sensitive areas of the body such as lids, nose or ears. Surgical excision of skin cancer in these areas can cause disfigurement and require large skin grafts. In radiation therapy, it is not necessary to carry out reconstruction surgery to correct cosmetic defects caused by excision. Skin cancer radiation is also beneficial as a less invasive means to target cancer recurrence after surgery. In cases where cancer cells remain after the surgery is completed, radiation therapy can significantly reduce the risk of skin cancer cells later.
One of the reality of skin cancer treatment is that not everyone is a candidate for surgical intervention. Elderly patients and patients with extensive cancer with sometimes face more risks than to benefit from surgery. The advantage of radiation of skin cancer is that it is lessinvasive than other treatments. Radiation therapy has a low level of complications and includes a shorter treatment period, yet it is still an effective means of targeting abnormal skin cells.
Radiation therapy is likely to continue to provide benefits for cancer patients. New techniques allowed doctors to provide higher doses of targeted radiation while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. At the same time, skin cancer radiation becomes safer for patients and more effective in eliminating cancer cells. It will probably continue to be beneficial if it is used as a primary treatment method and is used in combination with other skin cancer treatment.