Local residents are opting out of surgery, and are instead undergoing a non-invasive procedure for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers.

The SRT-100, which met standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is a tool that’s relatively new to the Rio Grande Valley.

“It compares very favorably with any other modality, including mole surgery, surgical incisions, plastic surgery,” said dermatologist Dr. Oscar Sotelo.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, and more than 5.4 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are treated in the United States every year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

The machine targets the affected area and emits a low-dose of radiation to remove cancer through a series of 12 treatments.

“Fractionation allows the bad cells to be destroyed by the radiation and the normal cells to survive and repair themselves in between treatments,” Sotelo said.

The treatment only radiates through about five millimeters of the surface of the skin—something Jerry Treviño was pleased to hear.

“I was literally in and out in 15 minutes and totally painless,” Treviño said. “That was the biggest thing.”

The Skin Cancer Foundation suggests seeing a physician every year for a professional skin exam, as well as using sunscreen and covering up when out in the sun.

Source: ValleyCentral.com