Immunocryosurgery for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer: Applications and Practical Tips

Gaitanis, Georgios; Bassukas, Ioannis D.

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-43939-5_20

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Imiquimod cream is applied by the patient at home as on previous nights. The technical details of cryosurgery within immunocryosurgery have been also presented elsewhere [6,12]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A principal criterion for treatment duration is tumor size, as BCC with diameters >20 mm require intensified treatment schemes with repeated cryosurgery sessions [6]. For these tumors, therapy is essentially individualized, with extended imiquimod application periods (up to 10 weeks) during which cryosurgery sessions are performed every 2 weeks, starting on day 14 of treatment.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Immunocryosurgery was pioneered in our department [5,6] and entails the combination of relatively mild cryosurgery with continuous imiquimod application. Elaborate protocols for this combination modality are now offered within the framework of approved clinical trials to patients with BCC attending the dedicated dermato-oncology clinic of our department, as a therapeutic alternative to surgery or when the latter is considered inappropriate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cryosurgery during Imiquimod (Immunocryosurgery) for Periocular Basal Cell Carcinomas: An Efficacious Minimally Invasive Treatment Alternative

Gaitanis

Kalogeropoulos²,

Bassukas³

2015

Dermatology

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Background/Aim: Periocular basal cell carcinomas (pBCC) remain a treatment challenge. Our aim was to retrospectively evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of immunocryosurgery for the treatment of pBCC. Methods: Immunocryosurgery is given in 5-week cycles of daily imiquimod, with cryosurgery on day 14. Patients treated between 1/1/2008 and 31/12/2014 were included in this study. Results: Immunocryosurgery was offered to 19 patients. Of these, 16 (i.e. 6 males and 10 females, average age 74.9 years, median tumor diameter 15 mm, range 5-60 mm), with 1 tumor each, were treated. Six tumors (37.5%) were relapses after surgery and 2 were of metatypical histology. All BCC were high risk for recurrence after treatment; 10 tumors had 2 risk factors for relapse, 5 had 3, and 1 had 4. The follow-up period ranged between 3 and 60 months (average 25.6 months). Of the 16 tumors treated, 14 (all with a diameter <40 mm) cleared with immunocryosurgery (total efficacy 87.5%); 7 out of 16 tumors (44%; all with a diameter ≤20 mm) cleared with 1 conventional 5-week immunocryosurgery treatment cycle. Seven additional tumors (including 2 with a diameter >20 mm) required intensified treatment schemes (of up to 10 weeks) for clearance. The 2 tumors that did not clear responded partially and were also the 2 largest ones (diameter 40 and 60 mm). Of the 14 cleared tumors, 2 relapsed during follow-up; 1 cleared with immunocryosurgery. At the last examination during follow-up, 13 out of 16 (81%) patients were in sustained clinical remission. Conclusions: For most pBCC, immunocryosurgery is a feasible and efficacious alternative to surgical excision.

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“…Imiquimod cream is applied by the patient at home as on previous nights. The technical details of cryosurgery within immunocryosurgery have been also presented elsewhere [6,12]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%