Dr. Michael Crowe
Dr. Artis Truett, III
Related Document: PDT therapy.pdf (New treatment for pre-cancerous skin lesions)
Owensboro Dermatology and Henderson Dermatology are one of the first dermatology practices to offer a new treatment, Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT), for pre-cancerous skin lesions (actinic keratoses).
Dr. Michael Crowe, Board-Certified Dermatologist with Owensboro Dermatology, said, “Our group has a number of lasers and treatments available prior to purchasing these new machines. However, in dermatology many different types of equipment/treatments are presently being used to treat a variety of skin conditions, growths and cosmetic complaints. No single laser or piece of equipment is currently capable of treating all skin conditions.”
Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, an estimated more than one million Americans develop skin cancer every year. Actinic Keratoses (AKs) are considered the earliest stage in the development of skin cancer. AKs can change and turn into squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Basic treatment for AKS has been cryosurgery, surgical removal and biopsy, topical chemotherapy, chemical peels, and laser skin resurfacing.
“We wanted to provide the community with another alternative to treating actinic keratoses (pre-cancerous lesions),” Crowe added. “This new treatment has shown improved therapeutic results, reduced risk of infection, limited injury to normal skin, and could potentially cause less scarring.”
PDT uses LED light waves that are targeted on the area that needs treatment. Movable lights wrap around the area while the patient lies on the table. First, a light-sensitive medicine is administered topically. Within a period of three hours, the medicine concentrates in diseased cells while it avoids normal tissue. The medicine remains inactive until exposed to the light. When applied, the light energy, delivered to the pre-cancer site, chemically activates the active metabolite and creates a toxic form of oxygen which destroys the cancerous and pre-cancerous cells with minimal damage to healthy cells. Most PDT treatment can be performed on an outpatient basis. The treatment time is variable depending on the growth. Usually pre-cancer is treated once a week for up to three weeks dependent on the lesions.
Dr. Artis Truett, Board Certified Dermatologist with Owensboro Dermatology, sees patients in the Owensboro and Henderson locations. This treatment is currently offered through the Owensboro office. However, patients seen at Henderson Dermatology who meet certain clinical criterion can also benefit from this new treatment through the Owensboro location.
Truett said, “The added bonus of this treatment for pre-cancer is that it is non-invasive and painless with minimal side effects such as redness that goes away in a few hours.”
