Applying the chemotherapy drug fluorouracil to skin might help improve the appearance of sun-damaged areas and reduce potentially precancerous patches, according to a small, new study.

Fluorouracil is used to treat cancers of the colon, head and neck, pancreas and other organs. Changes in skin appearance have been noted in people undergoing treatment with systemic fluorouracil, and this led to the development of a skin cream that contains the cancer drug.

The new study included 21 healthy volunteers with sun-damaged skin and actinic keratoses -- skin lesions that could develop into skin cancer -- on their faces. The participants applied 5 percent fluorouracil cream to their faces twice daily for two weeks.

The researchers said that the number of actinic keratoses declined from an average of 11.6 lesions per person to an average of 1.5 lesions. There were also improvements in aging-related damage, including wrinkling and dark skin spots.

The study, funded by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, was published in the June issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.

"For patients in whom a course of topical fluorouracil is indicated for the treatment of actinic keratoses, there will likely be the additional benefit of a restorative effect from sun damage; this may provide further motivation for these patients to undergo the rigorous treatment," concluded Dr. Dana L. Sachs, of the University of Michigan Medical School, and colleagues.

"It is possible that for some patients topical fluorouracil may have an important role against photo-aging," they wrote. "For others, however, it may not be cosmetically acceptable given that a standard course of therapy may last two to three weeks and the ensuring reaction can persist for several more weeks. Undoubtedly, there will be patients who desire a therapy such as topical fluorouracil for cosmetic purposes given the relatively low cost of this therapy compared with ablative laser resurfacing."

一项最新的小规模研究发现，将化疗药物-氟尿嘧啶涂抹在被太阳晒伤的区域有助于改善皮肤表面并可能降低癌症前期的斑块。

氟尿嘧啶是用来治疗结肠癌、头颈癌、胰腺癌和其他器官等的癌症。在对有关人群采用氟尿嘧啶进行系统治疗之后，其皮肤表面发生了明显改观，这也导致了含防癌药物护肤霜的研制。

该项研究是针对21位志愿者展开的，他们脸部的皮肤均被晒伤且患有光化性角化病-一种可演变为皮肤癌的皮肤损害。研究对象将氟尿嘧啶膏涂抹在脸上，一天两次，坚持两周。

研究人员指出光化性角化病数量从平均11.6块损伤/人减少到平均1.5块损伤/人；在对老龄化引起的身体损害如皱纹、暗斑等方面也有改善。

由Valeant制药国际资助的该项研究发表在《皮肤病学文献》的6月刊物上。

根据密西根大学医学院的Dana L. Sachs博士和其他研究人员的总结得出，对于处在局部氟尿嘧啶治疗过程中进行光化性角化病的患者，除达到预期恢复效果外，还将可能获得额外好处；这可能促使患者进一步进行更大程度的治疗。

他们写道，对有些患者而言，局部氟尿嘧啶治疗对预防光老化很可能起着重要作用；而对为追求美容的其他患者，这是不可取的，因为一次标准的治疗过程要持续2-3周，药物反应可能会持续更长时间。但毫无疑问，考虑到此类疗法相对于激光剥皮较便宜，今后会有追求美容的病人采用诸如局部氟尿嘧啶治疗的疗法。