The use of lasers in the treatment of skin cancer: A review

Background: In considering skin cancer, a number of factors—including effectiveness, simplicity of treatment, cost, and esthetic outcomes—are important to ensure patient’s satisfaction. There are several existing interventions, such as electrodessication and curettage, excision, Mohs surgery, radiation therapy, cryotherapy, and topical/oral treatments. Laser therapy has emerged as a new promising alternative that should be explored. Objective: To review the literature on the dermatological use of laser therapy in the treatment of skin cancer. Results: A review of articles available on the MEDLINE and Web of Science databases until May 2017 yielded 24 and 6 studies, respectively, on laser therapy in the treatment of skin cancers, particularly melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The four laser subtypes included solid-state, diode, dye, and gas lasers. Conclusion: Review of the literature demonstrates the progress of dermatological understanding of the clinical implications of laser therapy in the treatment of premalignant and malignant neoplasms of the skin, and suggests that this treatment modality might be a viable option for some patients.