Treat Skin Cancers With Proton Therapy
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, with 9,500 Americans diagnosed with skin cancer each day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. At least 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer by age 70. Most often, skin cancer is caused by the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and after use of UV tanning beds. As a result of exposure, abnormal cells grow in the outer layer of the skin, called the epidermis, and mutate into different cancer types. If caught in its precancerous and early stages, skin cancer can be removed in its entirety.
Once the tumors penetrate the skin’s surface and grow into cancer, the location and type of cancer determines treatment options and prognosis. Small basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas are often cured well via surgery, but larger or more extensive tumors may require radiation therapy in some form. Melanoma sometimes requires surgery, radiation and immunotherapy.
Proton therapy, a form of radiation therapy, is often an excellent option for skin cancers when radiation is a part of management, especially those in the head and neck region. Protons are delivered by a beam the size of a pencil point for precise employment to the affected area. This can eliminate the delivery of unnecessary radiation to nearby organs and tissues (like the eyes and mouth), which may get more exposure with more traditional forms of radiation.
Maryland Proton Treatment Center (MPTC) Treats a Variety of Skin Cancers:
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Melanoma
- Merkel cell carcinoma
- Kaposi sarcoma
- Sebaceous gland carcinoma
