News > New Drug Might Be Non-Surgical Option for Common Skin Cancers

New Drug Might Be Non-Surgical Option for Common Skin Cancers

An experimental gel has shown early promise in treating the most common form of skin cancer — hinting at a potential alternative to surgery in the future. Researchers tested the gel in 30 patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a skin cancer diagnosed in more than 3 million Americans each year. The tumors rarely spread and are highly curable, usually through surgical removal.

The study — published Aug. 6 in Clinical Cancer Research — was a small mid-stage trial, designed to see whether the topical medication worked at all. Senior researcher Dr. Kavita Sarin said further studies are needed to "optimize" the treatment regimen. "This was a small pilot study just to see whether there's efficacy," she noted.