Topical treatment helps prevent skin cancer

A new study by researchers at the University of Washington's Faculty of Medicine revealed that a blend of two known topical creams would reduce the risk of "squamous cells," a common form of skin cancer .

The researchers explained that the combination of local cream consists of a drug widely used for the treatment of cancer, called "fluorouracil 5", in addition to "Calciputriol", and that the last cream is used for the treatment of psoriasis.

To test the effectiveness of this local compound, the team followed 132 patients at risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by dividing them into two groups: the first placed on the skin and the second group developed only fluorouracil 5 .

After 3 years of follow-up, the researchers found that patients who placed the topical combination had a lower risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma on the skin of the face and scalp than those treated with fluorouracil alone.

The researchers found that only 7% of those treated with a localized combination developed squamous cell carcinoma of the skin cells, compared with 28% of the fluorouracil alone during the follow-up period.

"Skin cell carcinoma of the skin is the second most common type of skin cancer in the United States, and its incidence rate continues to increase," said Dr. Lynn Cornelius, author Main of the study.

"Calciotriol, which has been added to fluorouracil 5, activates the cells of the immune system that attack cancerous tumors, which contributes to the prevention of squamous cell carcinoma."

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. According to the country's National Cancer Institute, about 74,000 new cases of skin cancer were diagnosed in the country in 2015.