Skin Cancer News this Month:
An exciting news story circulated last week about Scottish scientists progress with a treatment for skin cancer.
(As you probably know, melanoma is just one form of skin cancer, and while MoleSafe and Melanoma Updates focuses on a goal of creating awareness for and detecting this most virulent form of skin cancer early, we want to ensure everyone realizes that we screen for all skin cancers, and all can be deadly left untreated. Here’s a great HealthiNation Skin Cancer Overview Video.)
The treatment is a form of Photodynamic Therapy, which combines a drug (a photosensitizing agent) with a specific type of light to kill cancer cells. As described by the National Cancer Institute,
"When photosensitizers are exposed to a specific wavelength of light, they produce a form of oxygen that kills nearby cells. … Photosensitizers tend to build up in tumors and the activating light is focused on the tumor. As a result, damage to healthy tissue is minimal.â€
As you might expect, there are often side effects, but the essential difference is a) the advantage of being able to avoid surgery and b) that PDT typically was available via often expensive hospital outpatient services only. The device from AmbiCare Health in Scotland is for home use. Light therapy has been around for years but it took heavy equipment and meant patients spent hours in the hospital. 
Now researchers say with this new device, patients can simply go home with it and get on with their daily routines.
New PDT device from Ambicare
The treatment is not available in the U.S., but doctors here say it is an interesting development.
We’ll watch and stay keenly interested in its success rates and availability, and keep you posted.
