Tampa clinic is 1 of 2 in U.S. using bladeless, electron-beam therapy to treat skin cancer
TAMPA, Fla. - Each year more than three million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer, making it the most common type of cancer, but if it’s caught early, it can be treated effectively.
"We think most skin cancers are attributed to sun exposure and particularly sun exposure when we are young, but it can also accumulate over decades," said Dr. Jennifer Gerson, a radiation oncologist with ForCare Dermatology.
Skin cancer has been treated for years through a variety of therapies and surgically removing the skin cancer was the gold standard of care before radiation therapy was an option. But that often led to scarring for patients with skin cancers on their nose, face, or lips.
READ USF dermatologist's guide for using sunscreen to prevent skin cancer
Dr. Gerson says electron-beam therapy can treat skin cancer in its early stages with 10 to 30 sessions of 30-second treatments without the risk of scaring.
"The type of radiation therapy we have here at ForCare Dermatology is called electron beam therapy. This uses six-centimeter electrons. They penetrate just a few millimeters in a tissue in their energies gone so this type of therapy is very easy to safely deliver to skin cancer patients and protect the rest of their body from the treatment," Dr. Garson explained.
ForCare Medical Center located in Tampa is only one of two facilities in the United States using superficial electron-beam therapy for skin cancer.
Dr. Gerson stresses that the earlier skin cancer is found the more likely it is to be cured. She recommends talking to your doctor if you have a lesion or area of concern that does not go away in a few weeks.
LINK: For more information about electron therapy for skin cancer, visit www.forcaremed.com.
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