KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate NMSC recurrence on the dorsal hands of older patients with post-one or two 595 nm PDL treatments.
- The results showed that dual treatments were well tolerated, with low recurrence and greater efficacy than single treatments.
Surgery is the primary treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) on thin skin, yet older hands pose challenges due to skin fragility and atrophy. When used without cooling, the 595 nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) can induce nonspecific thermal necrosis to eliminate NMSC.
Elliott D Herron and the team aimed to comprehend NMSC recurrence on older patients’ dorsal hands following one or two treatments using 595 nm PDL.
About 147 cases of NMSC on the dorsal hands were treated with 595 nm PDL. The cohort comprised basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Each patient underwent one to two PDL treatments. The main outcome assessed was carcinoma recurrence.
The results revealed that among NMSC cases treated with PDL, recurrence was observed in 12 patients (8.2%). No cases of BCC recurred during the study period. The recurrence rate for SCC was 4.7% for SCC in situ and 10.4% for invasive SCC (P= 0.34). Among 71 patients treated once, recurrence occurred in 10 patients (14.1%), while among 76 cases treated twice, recurrence was observed in 2 patients (2.6%, P= 0.01).
The study concluded that two treatments of PDL for NMSC on the older patient’s dorsal hands were well tolerated, exhibited low recurrence rates, and appeared more effective than a single treatment.
No funding was provided.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38630146/
Herron ED, Snyder AM, Hull CM, et al. (2024) “Fragile hands: targeting nonmelanoma skin cancer on older hands using 595 nm pulsed dye laser.” Lasers Med Sci. 2024 Apr 17;39(1):101. doi: 10.1007/s10103-024-04047-6. PMID: 38630146.
