Pharmacy student Desmond Morrow, working alongside Dr Paul McCarron and Dr Ryan Donnelly from the Queen's Medical Biology Centre, have found that a 'needle-free jet injection device' may be a potential way of eradicating skin tumours that can be difficult to treat.

The breakthrough could benefit the growing numbers of skin cancer patients being treated with a technique called photodynamic therapy (PDT). This is where a light sensitive drug in the form of a cream is rubbed on the area affected by the cancer and a laser activates a component in the cream to destroy cancerous cells.

Mr Morrow said: "PDT is a relatively new form of skin cancer treatment which results in tumour death. However, sometimes its success in individual patients is limited by the poor penetration of the active agent into the tumour.

"Our research shows that a new way of administering the drug can improve the amount that crosses the skin barrier and gets to the required site."

Dr McCarron said that in Northern Ireland, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a prevalent form of skin cancer.

"Conventional treatments for BCC include surgical excision and radiotherapy, which demonstrate acceptable clearance rates," he said.

"However, both techniques are unsuitable for large or multiple lesions and can lead to poor cosmetic outcomes, such as scarring, especially on visible regions, like the face and upper torso."

Dr Donnelly added that PDT has been shown to "eradicate certain superficial skin lesions with remarkable selectivity, giving a more satisfactory clinical outcome".

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Northern Ireland, accounting for one in four of all cases.

Just three months ago, health chiefs were warned to prepare for a potential explosion in the rate of skin cancer cases diagnosed in Northern Ireland - with men, older people and the wealthy most at risk.

Dermatology experts from Queen's University and the Royal Victoria Hospital forecast that a general increase in skin cancer rates over coming years will be exacerbated by a significant burst in the age category most susceptible to the disease.

Researchers looked at official cancer statistics for nearly 23,000 people here over a 12-year period. The results, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, showed a concerning increase in skin cancer levels in the province since the early '90s.

And with 80% of all cases occurring in the over-60s - an age group predicted to swell by more than half in the next two decades - that level looks set to rise drastically in line.

The findings also concluded that men living in affluent areas were significantly more likely to develop BCC than if they lived in a disadvantaged area.

Men living in affluent areas were 41% more likely to develop BCC and two and a half times more likely to suffer from malignant melanoma.

Wealthy women were 29% more likely to suffer from BCC and also two and a half times more likely to suffer from malignant melanoma.

l For information on how to avoid the risk of skin cancer, visit www.sunsmart.org.uk .