Mrs Aenone Harper Machin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon, St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust
A synthetic dermal scaffold used in reconstructive operations is providing an effective alternative for skin cancer patients who, until recently, had no surgical options left.
Patients who undergo numerous operations to remove multiple skin cancers can have increasingly complex reconstructive needs, admits Mrs Aenone Harper Machin, consultant plastic surgeon, St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust. In some cases — particularly when the patient is elderly and frail — surgery to remove a tumour may be impossible if post-operative wounds and skin grafts will not heal.
“We are seeing an ever-increasing cohort of elderly patients with multiple non-melanoma skin cancers, most commonly on the head and neck, and squamous cell carcinomas, most commonly on the scalp,” says Mrs Harper Machin. “Unfortunately, once patients have a number of these cancers, their reconstructive options become extremely limited.”
However, a synthetic dermal scaffold — known as biodegradable temporising matrix (BTM) — is being used by the NHS and provides an effective reconstructive alternative for skin cancer patients who, until recently, had no treatment options left. This is a sponge-like sheet that temporarily closes the wound, creates a foundation for the skin and encourages the body to generate new tissue. As such it can be applied to a range of wounds including traumatic injuries, burns, and necrotising soft tissue infections.
This is a sponge-like sheet that temporarily closes the wound, creates a foundation for the skin and encourages the body to generate new tissue.
A game-changer for wound treatment
“Patients with multiple skin cancers, or those who are very frail, can now be treated adequately under local anaesthetic,” says Mrs Harper Machin, who has been using BTM in her surgical operations for almost three years. “They can even undergo radiotherapy afterwards which is a game-changer because, previously, radiotherapy would have destroyed their skin grafts.”
Apart from being life-altering for patients, it has been beneficial for surgeons, too. “Other dermal matrices can be expensive and their results can be mixed,” says Mrs Harper Machin. “But this latest innovation is straightforward to use. It generates a blood supply faster than other dermal matrices so any infections can be treated with antibiotics. Recovery time is quick and outcomes are extremely good. While it won’t necessarily change the course of a patient’s disease it can give them a more comfortable life.”
