Superficial Radiotherapy
The Superficial Radiotherapy Machine:
At Cancer Centre London we have a Xstrahl superficial radiotherapy machine which is specifically designed to treat benign and skin cancer conditions using low dose radiotherapy. The superficial radiotherapy service is run by the highly experienced professionals including renowned skin cancer specialist Dr. John Glees who leads the service following his retirement after 40 years at the Royal Marsden and St. George’s hospital. This treatment gives excellent results in regards to cure and cosmesis.
Superficial Radiotherapy for Benign Conditions:
This low dose superficial radiotherapy machine can be used to treat many types of benign conditions as given below:
Dupuytren’s contracture- Bent fingers
Ledderhose disease - lumps of collagen in the feet causing discomfort
Peyronie’s disease - Growth of fibrous plagues in the soft tissue of the penis.
Heterotopic new bone formation- following hip operation- referred by Orthopaedic surgeons
Psoriasis- It gives very good results with up to 5 treatments once weekly
Viral warts- all types of warts
Keloids- It gives gold standard results in conjunction with surgery
Superficial radiotherapy for skin cancers:
At Cancer Centre London we treat most types of skin cancers. Skin cancers are the commonest cancers caused by exposure to sunshine and it develops many years later. Most of the skin cancers (except Melanomas) can be cured with low dose superficial X-rays alone.
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is treated with daily treatments for 9 sessions over 2 weeks time. Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is treated with daily treatments for 10 sessions over 2 weeks time.
The overall cosmetic effects of treating skin cancers on the face using superficial radiotherapy are uniformly excellent. The cure rates with radiotherapy are equal to those of plastic surgery with non-invasive low dose radiation.
Superficial radiotherapy also has a role treating some Melanomas for e.g. Lentigo Maligna- a pre-melanoma skin condition which cosmetically can be very unattractive but the post treatment results are cosmetically excellent.
