Rhode Island Hospital Recruiting for Study On Sun-damaged Skin - Lesions May be a Precursor to Skin Cancer

Posted Monday, January 07, 2013

Study to test efficacy of investigational drug treatment

Rhode Island Hospital is recruiting participants for a study to determine the effectiveness of an investigational drug treatment of actinic keratosis (AK), or sunlight-induced lesions, on the face and scalp. Actinic keratosis is very common, and can lead to skin cancer.

It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of active AK lesions will progress to squamous cell carcinomas. These cancers are usually not life-threatening, provided they are detected and treated in the early stages. Half of all older, fair-skinned people who live in sunny areas have AK, which is the result of long-term exposure to sunlight.

“The message of protecting our skin from the sun is widespread, yet many people still do not protect themselves enough, particularly the face and scalp,” said principal investigator Jennie J. Muglia, MD, of the Rhode Island Hospital department of dermatology. “This study will help to determine how effective a new topical cream is at restoring the skin to a healthy state, before it has the chance to develop into a more serious skin cancer.”

Recruitment of study participants will close in March 2013, in an effort to conduct the study in the warmer spring and summer months. Adults age 18 and older who have rough, scaly or crusty discolored sunspots or bumps on their faces or balding scalp are eligible for the study. Qualified participants will receive application of a topical cream to the affected area to determine the efficacy of the medication. Participants will need to be available for five clinical visits over a 14-week period, and will be compensated for time and travel.

“Detection is always the first step,” Muglia said. “But if we can appropriately treat these lesions early on, we have a much better chance of preventing skin cancer from developing.”

For more information on this study or to register as a participant, please contact the Rhode Island Hospital Dermatology Research Unit at 401-444-7853.

Filed under: Research,Rhode Island Hospital Clinical Trials,RIH,