Getting cancer is one of the scariest possibilities we all have to deal with. Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer threatening us today. Aside from the pain and suffering involved during the treatment stage, this type of cancer can be disfiguring. Fortunately, however, these issues might soon be easier to solve thanks to a new treatment that has the potential to replace surgery.
A pioneering therapy developed by Italian researchers that uses rhenium-188, a radioactive isotope in order to treat basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma painlessly and without leaving scars is in the works. The study done on 1000 patients in Rome reveals exciting results. The treatment was applied using a surgical foil as a base in order to protect the healthy skin cells, painting on the paste and removing it after two hours.
During the trial, 95% of the patients were cured after a single session, while 85% of the remaining patients were cured after three treatment sessions. Furthermore, it appears that the procedure has no side effects in most of the cases. This promising therapy could eliminate disfiguring scars, improving the life significantly.
Dr Maria Gonzalez from Cardiff University mentions the fact that if approved, this therapy could be beneficial for certain categories of patients: “It is very specific types of patients who would choose this treatment. It would be very useful to have as an alternative to surgery. Sometimes if the tumour is very large, especially on the face, or the patient is elderly, then it is not a reasonable approach to excise it”.
Larger studies are set up to take place in Germany in order to gain approval and make this therapy available to patients. Still, the new treatment is seen as another alternative of treatment in the medical community and not necessarily one that would make conventional treatments obsolete.
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