The findings of a small, new study suggest that the application of the chemotherapy drug fluorouracil to skin might be helpful in reducing sun-damage as well as potentially precancerous patches.

Though fluorouracil is generally used for treating cancers of the colon, head and neck, pancreas and other organs; treatment with systemic fluorouracil can reportedly bring about a notable change in skin appearance.

The 21 healthy volunteers included in the study had sun-damaged facial skin and actinic keratoses - skin lesions that can result in skin cancer. They applied 5 percent fluorouracil cream to their faces two times a day for about a fortnight.

The study followed the participants for nearly six months, during which they underwent regular skin biopsies, close-up facial photographs, and dermatology checkups. Though initially their facial skin got dry, itchy, and peeled; it later recovered, with lesser wrinkles and a soft, smooth texture.

A questionnaire - completed by the participants after ten weeks of fluorouracil use - revealed that while 40 percent and 16 percent patients said there was "much" improvement in their sun- damaged skin and wrinkles respectively; 35 percent and 26 percent reported a "moderate" improvement in the respective cases.

Commenting on the results, Dr. Dana L. Sachs, of the University of Michigan Medical School, said that the statistics "may provide further motivation for these patients to undergo the rigorous treatment."