Radiotherapeutic Bandage Could Treat Skin Cancer Research behind a new radiotherapeutic bandage that could potentially treat squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cancer was presented Wednesday, at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Expo in Orlando.

The bandage, which incorporates nanoparticles into polymers through a technique called electrospinning, was developed by a team from the University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy, led by professor Anthony J. Di Pasqua, Ph.D., as a possible alternative to surgery for minimally invasive, cosmetic solution, or for SCC where surgery cannot be performed.

Electrospinning uses an electrical charge to create very thin fibers from a liquid.

Researchers tested the bandages, which only become radioactive immediately prior to therapy, on mice with SCC for one hour.  After 15 days of monitoring tumor size, three out of 10 mice that wore the radioactive bandage had their tumors completely eliminated. The seven other mice in that group had significantly smaller tumor volumes, compared to control groups, according to the researchers.

�Radiation has a tendency to be a systemic, yet aggressive treatment for patients,� Di Pasqua said.

According to the research, the bandages achieve a similar level of radioactivity to conventional radiation, which can require large and specialized equipment.

�These bandages can be individually tailored for easy application on tumor lesions of all shapes and sizes, and manufactured on a large scale,� said Bhuvaneswari Koneru, a graduate student who worked on the team.

There are about 700,000 new cases of SCC diagnosed in the U.S. each year.  It tends to develop after years of sun exposure, and is most commonly found on areas such as the head, neck, and back of hands.