A bandage to treat skin cancer

Feature_Pharma_RadioctiveSun lovers are bombarded daily by warnings about the cancer dangers posed by their passion.

But researchers now are offering hope to patients with skin cancer that they could be treated one day with a radioactive bandage containing exactly the right dosage to shrink tumor lesions.

Researchers say such a bandage s could be used as an alternative or complement to external beam radiation and surgery.

The bandage easily could be adjusted to fit the size and position of the tumor lesion and would make it possible to treat skin cancer without harming healthy tissue, said Anthony Di Pasqua, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UNT Health Science Center.

“We know that such a bandage can be used to shrink tumors,” he said. “But the goal is to use a much lower dosage of radiation than what patients are exposed to now.”

Radiation therapy uses a beam of electrons that only penetrates as far as the skin. It is sometimes used to treat squamous and basal cell carcinoma, which affects more than 3.5 million people in the United States.

Radioactive skin bandages have not been tested in human clinical trials. Dr. Di Pasqua and his colleague, Kenneth J. Balkus, PhD, at UT Dallas, hope to publish preliminary results of their research this winter.

Dr. Di Pasqua said that the bandage streamlines treatment and ensures that the patient receives a therapeutic dosage. It is composed of holmium-containing nanoparticles that become radioactive upon bombardment by neurons.

By using short-lived isotopes, the bandage is no longer radioactive after 11 days, Dr. Di Pasqua said. During treatment, bandaged patients would be confined to an outpatient clinic, where a lead shield would prevent others from being exposed to radiation. Radioactive sensitizers make it possible to use lower doses of radiation than are normally given in hospitals or clinics.

The length of time the patient would be exposed to radiation would be calculated down to the second.

In some patients, a single dose of radiation may be enough to shrink a tumor, but others may require multiple doses.

“Being able to actually apply it to the skin is quite an elegant solution to this type of cancer,” he said.

Recent News

Eun-Young Mun
  • Our People
|Jun 16, 2025

Dr. Eun-Young Mun receives national award for advancing prevention science

  Eun-Young Mun, PhD, a regents professor and associate dean for Research and Innovation at The University of North Texas Health Science Center of Fort Worth’s College of Public Health, has received the Nan Tobler Award at the 33rd annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research....
Dr. John Licciardone
  • Research
|Jun 12, 2025

Long-term study shows better chronic pain outcomes in patients treated by osteopathic physicians

The first long-term study involving three years of follow-up of osteopathic medical care for chronic pain has been published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. The research team was led by Dr. John Licciardone, executive director of the Osteopathic Research Center and regents professor at T...
Dsc01266
  • Community
|Jun 12, 2025

Legacy Writers: TCOM students bring life stories to the final chapter

When Azelia Lau arrived at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, she brought more than a passion for psychiatry. She also carried a long-held idea inspired by an undergraduate program she never got to join. Now a third-...
Lillee Smith Gelinas 666 X 750
  • Research
|Jun 5, 2025

TCOM course linked to higher patient safety awareness knowledge and residency readiness

The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is the first medical school in the country to require a patient safety course that prepares students for the Certified Professional in Patient Safety credential — and a new study publishe...