USAHC Vicenza shines a blue light on skin cancer

By Julie M. LucasSeptember 3, 2014

USAHC Vicenza shines a blue light on skin cancer
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Thanks to the generosity of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, U.S. Army Health Center Vicenza now has a machine to treat precancerous and certain superficial skin cancer conditions. Vicenza's VFW Post 8862 purchased a photodynamic therapy machine and donated it to the clinic.

"I had mentioned the benefits of this machine to people we were treating for sun damage and precancerous conditions such as actinic keratosis, so they could look for that if they were PCSing to the States. Word got back to members of the VFW and they offered to purchase the device," said USAHC dermatologist, Lt. Col. Craig Maddox.

The machine uses different two different wavelengths of visible light, red and blue, which read a patient's face or other parts of the body that may have precancerous or superficially cancerous cells. First a topical medication is applied, which is preferentially absorbed by the sun damaged cells over normal cells because they have a higher metabolic rate, Maddox said.

After a two-hour wait, the affected area is exposed to the light for 20 minutes. Patients can feel a slight stinging sensation during treatment, but after 24-48 hours there is little if any discomfort. The treated skin will look as if the patient had a sunburn, but over the ensuing two weeks the affected skin peels and looks normal and rejuvenated two to three weeks later.

The traditional therapy with a cream requires at least two weeks of application and is significantly more uncomfortable, Maddox said. Then it takes another two weeks for the skin to recover. The PDT unit can replace this older method of treatment, according to Maddox.

Genetics and sun exposure play the main roles in determining the risk of skin cancer, with lighter skinned people being at greater risk of contracting skin cancer compared to people with darker skin complexions.

The PDT machine can also be used to treat acne, Maddox said. Patients are exposed to both red and blue light simultaneously, without any topical solution being applied. The protocol for this procedure requires 20-minute treatments, two to three times weekly for 10 weeks.

"Everyone will benefit from this machine," said VFW Post 8862 trustee Ron Reynolds. "The young folks going through the nasty acne period, older folks that have been exposed to sun for many years as well as our warriors that have been exposed to the hot weather in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Related Links:

Vicenza Military Community facebook page

Vicenza Military Community website