Actinic field treatment can consist of using affordable and effective cream treatments to treat early sun damage. It can also rejuvenate and improve the cosmetic appearance of skin, while preventing skin cancer.
What does field treatment involve?
It involves treating a whole region of sun-damaged skin that has numerous early or superficial skin cancer changes. Traditional ‘spot treatments’ only treat visible sun damage lesions such as actinic keratoses on the face. This neglects the implication that people often have sun damage to their whole face, not just the visible spots meaning repeated frequent trips to clinic for further treatment.
In this situation, field treatments offer far superior outcomes and are generally better tolerated than alternatives. Field treatments target visible visible lesions as well as microscopic damage that is not visible. This results in fewer visits to the doctor and has been proven to result in reducing the risk of developing skin cancers in the future.
Is field treatment for skin cancer effective?
Numerous studies have well established that actinic field treatment is effective. There are several treatment options available. These are:
- Efudix (5-fluorouracil) cream
- Efudix combined with Daivonex appears to the most effective simple treatment for field treatment.
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is also an effective option.
Some studies have reported that effective field treatments can reduce the risk of skin cancers by as much as 75%.1Mohney L, Singh R, Grada A, Feldman S. Use of Topical Calcipotriol Plus 5-Fluorouracil in the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis: A Systematic Review. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(1):60-65. doi:10.36849/JDD.2022.6632,2Dlott AH, Spencer SA, Di Pasqua AJ. Calcipotriol and 5-Fluorouracil Combination Therapy for the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis in the Clinic: A Review Article. Clin Drug Investig. 2024;44(10):733-737. doi:10.1007/s40261-024-01392-w,3Rosenberg AR, Tabacchi M, Ngo KH, et al. Skin cancer precursor immunotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma prevention. JCI Insight. 2019;4(6):e125476. Published 2019 Mar 21. doi:10.1172/jci.insight.125476
Will I be prescribed a field treatment if I have skin cancer?
Not necessarily. In your appointment with one of our specialist dermatologists, they will discuss treatment options that may best suit you and your lifestyle. Everyone is different and will require different treatments that are suited to your needs. Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, you can rest assured that you can have them addressed in your consultation.
Importantly, any ‘proper’ skin cancers should be treated first, normally with surgery. Following surgery, field treatment is often prescribed to reduce your development of skin cancer and reducing the need for further surgery. Field treatment prior to appropriate skin cancer surgery, may result in unnecessary complications.
References
- 1Mohney L, Singh R, Grada A, Feldman S. Use of Topical Calcipotriol Plus 5-Fluorouracil in the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis: A Systematic Review. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(1):60-65. doi:10.36849/JDD.2022.6632
- 2Dlott AH, Spencer SA, Di Pasqua AJ. Calcipotriol and 5-Fluorouracil Combination Therapy for the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis in the Clinic: A Review Article. Clin Drug Investig. 2024;44(10):733-737. doi:10.1007/s40261-024-01392-w
- 3Rosenberg AR, Tabacchi M, Ngo KH, et al. Skin cancer precursor immunotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma prevention. JCI Insight. 2019;4(6):e125476. Published 2019 Mar 21. doi:10.1172/jci.insight.125476