Chemotherapy cream or immunotherapy cream to treat skin cancer

You may be prescribed a cream that you put on (apply) to the area to treat non-melanoma skin cancer. There are 2 types:

• chemotherapy cream
• immunotherapy cream.

Your doctor, nurse or a pharmacist will give you the cream to apply at home. They will explain:

• how to apply it
• how long to use it for
• when to stop using it.

You apply the cream once or twice a day. The area can usually be left uncovered. But your doctor or nurse may advise you to cover the area with a waterproof dressing after putting on the cream. Follow the instructions they give you.

Treatment is usually for 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the area of the body.

Immunotherapy drugs use the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.

An immunotherapy cream called imiquimod (Aldara^®) is used to treat Bowen’s disease and some small superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). It is usually used if surgery is not suitable or if the skin cancer is in more than 1 area.

You may feel a burning or tender feeling in the area being treated. This is most common at the start of treatment. Some redness or crusting of the skin usually occurs during the treatment. But there should be no permanent scarring. If the skin reaction is very strong, your doctor may give you a steroid cream to help.

It is normal for redness and some crusting to continue for about 2 weeks after the treatment has finished.

Usually, you only notice side effects where you apply the cream. But some people may feel unwell with shivers or flu-like symptoms. If this happens, contact your doctor or specialist nurse for advice.

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