Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Nov;9(11):16-22.
Epub 2016 Nov 1.

High-dose Rate Electronic Brachytherapy: A Nonsurgical Treatment Alternative for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Ajay Bhatnagar  1 , Rakesh Patel  2 , William Philip Werschler  3 , Roger I Ceilley  4 , Robert Strimling  5
Affiliations
Review

High-dose Rate Electronic Brachytherapy: A Nonsurgical Treatment Alternative for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Ajay Bhatnagar et al. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

The authors summarized data from a group of physicians with experience using high-dose rate electronic brachytherapy for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer. The data have been published or presented in abstract format at national dermatology and radiation oncology meetings. The data included 1,822 treated lesions from 2009 to 2014 in patients ranging in age from 52 to 104 years. Most lesions were basal cell carcinoma (57%) or squamous cell carcinoma (38%) less than 2cm in size (97%). Median follow-up at the various centers ranged from 4 to 16 months, and results yielded an extremely low recurrence rate of less than one percent. Results show that within the confines of this follow up period, electronic brachytherapy is an effective, convenient, nonsurgical treatment option for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer with few recurrences and excellent cosmetic results.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Squamous cell carcinoma on right antihelix treated with 40Gy to a 3mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 1 year
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Squamous cell carcinoma on right antihelix treated with 40Gy to a 3mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 1 year
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Basal cell carcinoma on right upper eyelid treated with 40Gy to a 3mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 1 year
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Basal cell carcinoma on right upper eyelid treated with 40Gy to a 3mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 1 year
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Basal cell carcinoma on left tip of nose treated with 40Gy to a 3mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 23 months
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Basal cell carcinoma on left tip of nose treated with 40Gy to a 3mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 23 months
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Squamous cell carcinoma on left cheek treated with 40Gy to a 5mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 1 year
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Squamous cell carcinoma on left cheek treated with 40Gy to a 5mm depth. (A) Pre-treatment; (B) 1 year
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Harris AR, et al. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States, 2006. Arch Dermatol. 2010;146:283–287. - PubMed
    1. American Cancer Society. [Accessed on June 3, 2016]. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer-basalandsquamouscell/detailedgui...
    1. National Cancer Institute. [Accessed on March 15, 2016]. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/skin
    1. Hruza GJ. Mohs micrographic surgery local recurrences. J Dermatol Surg Oncol. 1994;20:573–577. - PubMed
    1. Mohs FE. Micrographic surgery for the microscopically controlled excision of eyelid cancers. Arch Ophthalmol. 1986;104:901–909. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources