Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy

Radiotherapy

Can work well as a treatment for skin cancer.  High energy rays are used in a localised manner to destroy the cancerous cells and do as little damage as possible to surrounding healthy cells.  Radiotherapy is a good treatment option when the skin cancer is in a difficult location or where surgery could be particularly disfiguring (such as on areas of the face), or where the tumours have penetrated deeply into the skin.

Chemotherapy

 If chemotherapy is used as a treatment for skin cancer it is usually in the form of a topical treatment, so a cream or lotion that is applied directly to the skin.

In most cases, a drug called 5-fluorouracil| (Efudix®), which is commonly known as 5FU, is used. You will be asked to put the cream on yourself at home. and apply it once or twice a day for a few weeks.

The treatment should make the skin red and inflamed and if too sore a steroid cream may also be prescribed to reduce the inflammation. The skin will take a week or two to heal after the treatment has finished.