Non-surgical Synergistic Interventions for the Treatment of Skin Cancer.

Abstract

Skin cancer is broadly classified into two categories i.e., non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and malignant melanoma (MM), with MM having a greater fatality rate than NMSC. A large number of treatment strategies currently exist for these skin cancer types, ranging from monotherapies to complex multifaceted synergistic interventions including dual therapies, trimodality therapy, and multicomponent combinations therapy. These combinatorial cancer treatments have delivered more favorable results when compared with monotherapies, and although combination treatments increase the cost of treatment, these regimens have lower side effect profiles, decreased resistance, high efficacy and an improved long-term response. Synergistic combination treatments for skin cancer are often complex, wide-ranging and encompass diverse platforms with various mechanisms of action. An understanding of the physiological potential, as well the efficacy of such treatments, is therefore vital to ensure patients receive the best possible treatment. This review therefore focuses on the current advancements and existing non-surgical combinative drug delivery methods utilized for treating skin cancer. It encompasses the diverse pharmaceutical delivery systems, clinical outcomes, and oncology strategies employed and aims to highlight the role of non-surgical combination therapies in enhancing patient compliance, reducing treatment durations, and improving overall survival rates while addressing relapses and metastasis. The promising outlook of the research being conducted in this field has also been provided, as well as the barriers to the effective treatment of this complex condition.