Vitamin-based cream may ward off skin cancer
Published: August 26, 2005
Canadian doctor’s product reduces the development of precancerous growths and basal cell carcinoma
A Canadian dermatologist believes he has found a way to reduce the risk of cancer and the signs of aging in people with sun-damaged skin.
Dr. Gordon Telford, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, has devised a protective cream based on the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E.
He has already tested a formulation on 50 of his own skin cancer patients and found it was associated with a 70 per cent reduction in the development of precancerous growths called actinic keratoses and in the development of basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.
“Using the cream dramatically reduces the frequency with which these high-risk patients get skin cancers,” Telford says.
But it could take years of further study to test whether the cream reduces the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
In 400 other patients not suffering from skin cancer, the effects of daily use of the cream were reductions in wrinkles, folds and other symptoms of the “California raisin look.”
“My impression clinically is that it is highly effective,” Telford says. “And patients love it because they look good when they use it.”
Patients use the cream three times a week for up to five years on areas of maximum sun damage, such as the face, neck, chest and back of the hands.
Telford says he believes the cream prevents sun-induced suppression of the immune system, the underlying reason why some individuals develop certain skin cancers while others do not.
He is now submitting his findings for publication in a medical journal and is considering patenting the formulation so the cream can be sold over the counter.
Dr. Gilles Lauzon, director of the division of dermatology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, says he has some reservations about an over-the-counter cream. “I would worry about an OTC product that might give people a false sense of security. They might then not be followed up properly.”
He also says the data on the cream are not as strong as he would like to see before he would consider endorsing the treatment.
Telford acknowledges his findings are anecdotal but says they are strong enough to warrant further research.
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