Dermatology Research and Practice
Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 837152, 9 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/837152
Review Article
Botanical Agents for the Treatment of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
Jillian W. Millsop,1 Raja K. Sivamani,2 and Nasim Fazel2
1University of Utah, School of Medicine, 30 N 1900 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
2University of California, Davis, Department of Dermatology, 3301 C Street, Sacramento, CA 95816, USA
Received 6 June 2013; Accepted 9 July 2013
Academic Editor: H. Peter Soyer
Copyright © 2013 Jillian W. Millsop et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Nonmelanoma skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, are common neoplasms worldwide and are the most common cancers in the United States. Standard therapy for cutaneous neoplasms typically involves surgical removal. However, there is increasing interest in the use of topical alternatives for the prevention and treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer, particularly superficial variants. Botanicals are compounds derived from herbs, spices, stems, roots, and other substances of plant origin and may be used in the form of dried or fresh plants, extracted plant material, or specific plant-derived chemicals. They possess multiple properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties and are, therefore, believed to be possible chemopreventive agents or substances that may suppress or reverse the process of carcinogenesis. Here, we provide a review of botanical agents studied for the treatment and prevention of nonmelanoma skin cancers.
