Generally, skin checks Gold Coast can help detect cancer and if detected at an early stage then curing it in a medical centre without any complicated procedures is possible. However, in severe cases, procedures like immunotherapy, chemotherapy or even surgery are required. It all depends upon the stage and type of cancer along with other factors.
Although it can be determined only after a thorough skin check Gold Coast for pension, concession and DVA card holders and children under 16 uptodate.com
some of the common ones are enlisted below:
Surgery
Surgery involves the removal of cancerous cells from the skin along with some adjacent normal tissues. It is most commonly performed with the patients suffering from the basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas using a local anesthetic.
Photodynamic Therapy
This therapy uses photosensitive medication and light to destroy the cancerous cells. Once the light-sensitive medication is applied on the skin, after 18 hours, it is exposed to a blue light that activates the substance. This activated medication destroys the cancerous cells on which it is applied.
Topical Chemotherapy
In this therapy, a chemotherapy cream is used on the affected area. This treatment may take between 3 to 12 weeks to heal the area affected by the tumor and the cream is usually applied twice a day. The cream specifically targets the cancerous cells on which it is applied and does not go deep into the skin.
Immune Response Modifier
It involves the application of the cream for treating superficial basal cell carcinomas or actinic keratosis. The cream is applied many times daily and the treatment may prolong from 3 to 8 weeks. It works by helping the body to produce a special protein that fights against cancer cells and other harmful foreign invaders.
Chemotherapy
Mostly in the case of Merkel Cell Carcinoma and other severe types of skin cancers, doctors rely on chemotherapy. When cancer has spread on other parts of the skin, chemotherapy is the only option in most cases. This, in turn, has many types and which one works best for a person is decided after examining the patient.
Skin Cancer Radiation
This surgery is usually performed in a skin area from where the lymph nodes were removed. It helps destroy the remaining cancerous cells. Moreover, in the cases where cancer recurs, this surgery helps diminish the size of metastasis and rids the patient of the symptoms particularly when the brain and bones are affected.
Some of the commonly relied upon radiation therapies include EBRT (External Beam Radiation Therapy), TomoTherapy, and IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy).
Targeted Therapy
This therapy targets a particular characteristic of cancerous cells like their protein or gene mutations. The medication used in targeted therapy attaches to the cancerous cell and either destroy them or aids in getting better results in other therapies.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy works by helping the patient’s immune system in identifying and killing the cancerous cells on its own. It is especially helpful in treating Merkel Cell carcinoma and melanoma. The two types of drugs used in immunotherapy include checkpoint inhibitors and Cytokines.
However, it is not equally suited for every patient because it overstimulates the immune system. Moreover, immunotherapy does have some side effects. It may cause gastrointestinal issues and skin rashes.