Treatment of Field Cancerization for Reduction in Tumor Burden - A Prospective Study

This project aims to treat field cancerization ( pre-skin cancers) in a manner that will reduce the future pre-skin cancers and non-melanoma skin cancers in patients with significant photodamage. This is 3 year prospective, randomized, controlled comparison of a single treatment with carbon dioxide laser resurfacing vs. carbon dioxide resurfacing plus autologous epidermal skin graft from a non sun exposed site vs. control. Thirty subjects will receive treatment with each of the modalities. The primary measures of efficacy are (a) count of the number of actinic keratosis and non melanoma skin cancers, (b) blinded evaluation of severity from standard digital photographs taken before and after the treatments, and (c) change in histology before and after treatment. Safety measures include (a) pain, (b) scarring, (c) wound healing, (d) and infection