Intralesional and Perilesional Treatment of Skin Cancers

In this chapter, various intralesional and perilesional agents that have been used in the treatment of skin cancers will be presented by practitioners familiar with their use. The four medications reviewed—methotrexate, interferon, 5-fluorouracil, and bleomycin—have been in widespread use for many years in the treatment of cutaneous neoplasms and extracutaneous neoplastic and inflammatory conditions. Therefore, the efficacy, toxicity, delivery, indications, and costs for these agents are well established, and they are widely available. However, the most common routes of administration for such medications are oral, intravenous, and topical. An intralesional and perilesional approach to therapy is less often utilized, leading to less familiarity in clinical practice. It is our hope that a detailed review of these agents delivered in such a manner, along with a variety of clinical examples, will facilitate their use in practice and increase the variety of treatment options available to patients with cutaneous tumors.