Pulsed laser radiation therapy of skin tumors

Radiation from a neodymium laser (lambda = 10600A) was used to treat 846 patients with 687 precancerous lesions or benign tumors of the skin, 516 cutaneous carcinomas, 33 recurrences of cancer, 51 melanomas, and 508 metastatic melanomas in the skin. The patients have been followed for three months to 6.5 years. No relapses have been observed during this period. Metastases to regional lymph nodes were found in five patients with skin melanoma Stage 1, 6--18 months after treatment. The therapy failed in only one patient with a malignant tumor of the hirsute part of the head. It was established that pulsed laser radiation may be successfully used in the treatment of precancerous lesions and benign tumors as well as for skin carcinoma and its recurrences. This therapy is indicated for skin melanoma, too. Laser radiation is more effective in the treatment of tumors inaccessible to radiation therapy and better in those cases in which surgery may have a bad cosmetic or even mutilating effect. Pulsed laser radiation is suitable for treating metastatic melanoma of the skin. Laser beams can be employed in conjunction with chemo- or immunotherapy.