Cryotherapy for basal cell skin cancer

Abstract

Relevance: Basal cell skin cancer is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of all cases. Given its benign course, early treatment of basal cell skin cancer (at stages 1 and 2) is an important point. These stages typically have a high cure rate, and one of the key goals of treatment is to minimize exposure with good cosmetic results.

The study aimed to provide an overview and analysis of cryotherapy as a treatment option for basal cell skin cancer (BCSC), including assessing its effectiveness and safety.

Methods: The study included patients with stages I and II of BCSC, age 18 years and older, of both sexes, who underwent cryotherapy as the main method of treatment.

Results: Between 2017 and 2023, the Kazakh National Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology (Almaty, Kazakhstan) performed cryotherapy on 983 patients suffering from BCSC stages I and II.

Conclusion: Cryotherapy is an effective method for treating BCSC in the early stages of the disease, providing a good cosmetic result and minimal complications. Our 983 patients who received cryotherapy had a local response to treatment, manifested by partial or complete disappearance of the tumor. Cryotherapy has been successfully used in patients aged 18 years and older, regardless of gender and the presence of concomitant diseases. Absolute standardized morbidity and mortality rates were calculated using the world standard (World).