Skin Cancer and Non-Surgical "Cures"

[iacas]

GentleCure | Image-Guided SRT | Tough on Cancer, Gentle on Skin

---

Surgery is not the only option for treating your skin cancer, GentleCure offers Image-Guided SRT, a surgery-free treatment for basal and squamous cell skin cancers.

I saw an ad for that on Golf Channel, and while I hope I never have to actually deal with skin cancer, I'm curious if anyone's heard or seen anything about this.

They use pointed x-rays to kill the skin cancer cells instead of surgery. No downtime (of course), no surgical scars (sure)… but also, you're getting a lot more x-rays (15 to 20 treatments). They say "low amounts" but… what's a "low amount" with multiple treatments?

99% effective, they say, so… as golfers, I think taking care of our skin (and our eyes) is important. So… if you weren't aware of this, maybe you now are, and hopefully we can have a little discussion on this.

[boogielicious]

Sounds like a variation of radiation treatment. I haven’t had issues, but I wear SPF 50 when I play and always wear glasses. I also wear arm sleeves in the summer.

[StuM]

I’ll ask my wife to look at this.  She has, unfortunately, been sliced & diced.

[Clemsonfan]

I had Moh’s surgery on my neck earlier this year. Except for me and my surgeon, nobody would know I had previously had skin cancer. Except for the week long downtime I suffered no ill effects. I suspect if the cancer had been on my face I might have sought alternatives.  I am now on a 6-month visit cycle and will ask about this treatment next time.

[nvkevin]

My wife has had several places where they have removed concerning spots.  One on her ankle came back as Melanoma so they removed a larger portion of that area.  She has one hell of a scar that looks like a wound from a bullet.  I will have to have her look into this and ask her dermatologist about it.  She now has to go every 3 months for full body scans; not exactly a fun time for her.

[Sammydreep]

Interesting, although I’d never heard of it. 
I’ve had a couple of Basal cell carcinoma cut out of my forehead, and also had some ointment for some smaller ones that were starting up . The
UV here is very strong( NZ) and I put on SPF all year round. 
The burn time at this time of the year can be as little as 10/12 minutes.

[TourSpoon]

I grew up in South Florida and drove a CJ5 with a bikini top for years in high school and college. I was outside constantly windsurfing, scuba diving, three wheeling, beaching, and playing sports. Sundown sunblock came out as a thing when I was 17 and I used when I was near the water but I was really tan but the damage was done.  I have had 30+ stitches (driver's side of face) and you can't really tell unless I point it out to treat basal cell carcinoma starting at 40 years old.

I am now on a 6 month derm check and use sunblock (mostly face) every time I play golf. I have had the Mohs procedure 3 or 4 times and its not that bad if the skin cancer is caught early. I had an LPGA friend who had to have her nose reconstructed but she wasn't getting checked regularly. That was an ordeal for her as the cancer had spread and the recovery was involved. The point is early screening is key. 

Now, I will tell you when the doctor says you have a spot that is cancerous you want to treat it immediately and you really don't want to wait. With Mohs its days later and they cut those cells out and then look at the margins to make sure its done. The down time is minimal but the relief knowing its gone is priceless. 

[iacas]

8 hours ago, TourSpoon said:

I grew up in South Florida and drove a CJ5 with a bikini top for years in high school and college. I was outside constantly windsurfing, scuba diving, three wheeling, beaching, and playing sports. Sundown sunblock came out as a thing when I was 17 and I used when I was near the water but I was really tan but the damage was done.  I have had 30+ stitches (driver's side of face) and you can't really tell unless I point it out to treat basal cell carcinoma starting at 40 years old.

I am now on a 6 month derm check and use sunblock (mostly face) every time I play golf. I have had the Mohs procedure 3 or 4 times and its not that bad if the skin cancer is caught early. I had an LPGA friend who had to have her nose reconstructed but she wasn't getting checked regularly. That was an ordeal for her as the cancer had spread and the recovery was involved. The point is early screening is key. 

Now, I will tell you when the doctor says you have a spot that is cancerous you want to treat it immediately and you really don't want to wait. With Mohs its days later and they cut those cells out and then look at the margins to make sure its done. The down time is minimal but the relief knowing its gone is priceless. 

I'd like this, but we don't have reactions in this sub-forum, so I'm quoting it and recommending everyone read it.