title: Cryotherapy for skin cancer: results over a 5-year period using liquid nitrogen spray cryosurgery.
abstract: Three hundred and ninety five selected non-melanoma skin cancers were treated and followed up during the period 1981-1986, using a standardized cryosurgical technique. There was an overall cure rate of 97%. Recurrences were seen in 6 out of 225 (2.7%) treated basal cell carcinomas at a median time of 18 months, 1 of 34 (2.9%) squamous cell carcinomas, with a recurrence at 6 months post-operatively and 1 out of 128 (0.8%) of Bowen's tumours which recurred 6 months after treatment. The patients were treated as out-patients using local anaesthesia and all tolerated the treatment well. This study has shown that cryosurgery is a safe, low cost and effective method of treating selected non-melanoma skin cancer and produced excellent cosmetic results with a high cure rate. It is suggested that patients treated with cryosurgery are followed up carefully for 2 years post-operatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff, U.K.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Holt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001913:Bowen's Disease / Q000601:surgery; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D003452:Cryosurgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*