Florida Skin Cancer Institute will be your trusted partner in treating non-melanoma skin cancer and keloids through low-energy x-ray therapy. This type of radiation is external and noninvasive and treats skin cancer as well as keloids. Our service will help you regain your healthy skin quickly and with little to no discomfort.
Other benefits of low-energy x-rays are:
- High cure rate Effective, painless, and non-invasive, low-energy x-rays are a highly effective option to cure basal and squamous cell skin cancers and prevent keloid recurrence after surgery. Using ultrasound image guidance to determine the depth of the skin cancer, cure rates are similar to Mohs surgery! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8140015/
- No scarring
Radiation is a bladeless treatment. It is a non-surgical treatment so does not cut through the skin to treat skin cancer, thus, painless and quick without any skin grafts, wound healing issues, or scars left behind. - No restrictions Because no surgery is involved, patients will not need to stop taking medications such as blood thinners or other medications that would interrupt their medical treatment.
You will find this type of radiation in hospital-based machines, to include electrons and high-energy x-rays. These machines are designed to treat deep tumors. These are larger machines, less efficient, and produce more scatter (outside the area treated) radiation dose to the patient. The higher energy penetrates deep and actually spares the skin to be treated. Material has to be added on top of the skin due to the skin-sparing effect, creating uncertainty in radiation dose. Larger margins around the skin cancer (more normal skin treated) are also necessary compared to low-energy radiation, and treatment is more costly in comparison.
This low energy radiation is perfect for treating skin conditions. When treating the skin, you do not want a skin-sparing effect…the dose is superficial in the skin where you want it. Smaller margins around the skin cancer are needed compared to high-energy radiation. There are three types:
- Electronic Brachytherapy: Low energy electronic x-ray source placed directly on superficial skin cancers. Direct contact allows for the radiation to be delivered faster, resulting in shorter overall treatment courses.
- Superficial X-rays (SRT): Low energy x-rays. Only penetrates the skin surface, to minimize dose to underlying structures.
- Orthovoltage Radiation: Low energy x-rays. However, these can treat deeper than SRT for more deeply invasive skin cancers. Penetrates just enough to treat deeper skin cancer, but not so deep to treat underlying organs.
Florida Skin Cancer Institute will be the only one in the area offering all three types of low energy x-rays for customized treatment!
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More services will be offered in the future. To reach us, please feel free to contact us anytime.