Could this cream prevent skin cancer?

0 Comments | Daily Mail (London, England), The, April 28, 2009

A CHEMOTHERAPY cream is being tested to see if it will prevent skin cancer as well as treating it.

More than 1,000 people at higher risk of the disease are using the cream on their faces and ears as part of a new trial.

Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of cancer. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or tanning beds is the major cause of the disease.

Patients on the American trial have had skin cancer, so they are deemed to be at higher risk.

The 5-fluorouracil cream will be used twice daily for four weeks and patients will be monitored for four years.

Fluorouracil is a chemotherapy drug that interferes with cell division and growth.

This results in the death of cancerous cells, which absorb more fluorouracil than healthy cells..