Electric treatment of human melanoma skin lesions with low level direct electric current: an assessment of clinical experience following a preliminary study in five patients

Abstract

In this study we have investigated the effects of negative low level direct electric current electrotherapy (current: 1 milliampere; treatment time: 30 minutes) in metastatic or primary melanoma skin lesions. After 12 applications in five patients, tumour regression was observed in all evaluable melanoma skin lesions; four of them were classified as partial responses. This study shows that locally applied electrotherapy with a negative low level direct electric current is an effective treatment that results in reduction of tumour mass of human melanoma skin lesions, and it is possible that it has a positive influence on the course of the metastatically disseminated melanoma. No serious side effects were observed.