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Podcast: Treating Non-melanoma Skin Cancer with the Non-invasive, Single Session Approach Rhenium-SCT

This fascinating podcast delves into alternative treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer using Rhenium-SCT; a painless1,2*, non-invasive, single-session3** therapy.

*No reported pain.

**Complete tumour regression in 98.5% of lesions treated.

Hosted by Sue Saville, and with guest speakers Joe Cardaci and Siddhartha Baxi – two experts in the nuclear medicine field who work together with dermatologists in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) patients.

There are currently between 2 and 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers worldwide each year, making it one of the most common forms of cancer in humans4.  And as Prof. Baxi explains, there is a significant social and psychological impact for these patients and families,  not only arising from the diagnosis, but also but also for the requirements of the treatment.

 

"There is a social cost of having these problems, in terms of the social and psychological impact of having these cancers treated regularly and constant monitoring for new lesions as you get older."

Prof. Sid Baxi

 

Knowing that this is one of the problems faced by these patients, Dr. Cardaci and Prof. Baxi explain how treatment with the radioisotope rhenium-188 is a novel approach to the treatment of non-melanoma skin lesions, and the importance of its application in a single session.

 

Some of the discussion topics include:

  • What is non-melanoma skin cancer, what causes it, how common is it, globally and especially in Australia?
  • What is Rhenium-SCT, how is it administered, what is so novel about this therapy?
  • NMSC patients might be offered radiation therapy; Rhenium-SCT also uses radiation, so how do you explain the difference – both to dermatologists and to patients themselves?
  • What sort of patients are best-suited for treatment with Rhenium-SCT?
  • How do you explain Rhenium-SCT to patients, how it works, what advantages it can bring and how you address any concerns they may have?
  • What is it like for a patient undergoing Rhenium-SCT, what do they experience and what might be the benefits?
  • EPIC-Skin is an international phase IV prospective study to evaluate this therapy – please tell us more about this study and how it is able to consider patient reported outcome measures?

This therapy has only recently been introduced in Australia, however, Dr. Cardaci comments that he has been aware of the use of this therapy for more than 10 years, "The data we have from overseas is certainly very encouraging."

This is why Dr. Cardaci has been working for a long time to bring this therapy to Australia. He also points out the importance of "selecting the right patient at the right time, for the right therapy" for this the decision to apply this therapy is worked out in collaboration with dermatologists and nuclear medicine physicians in addition to the review of the healing process.

 

Don't miss it, click here to listen to the complete podcast:   https://www.emjreviews.com/dermatology/podcasts/treating-non-melanoma-skin-cancer-with-the-non-invasive-single-session-approach-rhenium-sct/    

 

More about guest Speakers:

Dr Joe Cardaci, a Consultant Physician in Nuclear Medicine and General Medicine at the Hollywood Private Hospital, the largest private hospital in Australia, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame, Australia. Dr Cardaci introduced Rhenium Skin Cancer Therapy into Australia, performing the first treatments in 2019. He helped establish an international Registry to collect real life data from patients treated with Rhenium SCT, and is an investigator in the EPIC trial, a multinational trial utilising Rhenium SCT in non-melanoma skin cancers.

 

Professor Siddhartha Baxi, the Clinical Lead for National Innovations and IT at GenesisCare, the largest provider of cancer and cardiac care services in Australia, with cancer treatment centres also in the UK and Spain. Prof Baxi is a Radiation Oncologist on the Gold Coast, working across a range of cancers, including head & neck, blood, brain, breast and skin cancer. Prof Baxi has a special interest in research and service development in remote Australia and in Aboriginal healthcare.

 

Host of Podcast:

Sue Saville is the former Medical Correspondent at Britain’s ITV News and now an independent health journalist.

 

Literature:

 

  1. Cipriani C, et al. International J Nucl Med. 2017; July: 114–112.
  2. Castelluci P, et al. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021; 48(5):1511–1521.
  3. Cipriani C, et al. In Therapeutic Nuclear Medicine. 2014. RP Baum (Ed), New York: Springer.
  4. World Health Organization. Radiation: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and skin cancer. Available at:  https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-ultraviolet-(uv)-radiation-and-skin-cancer#:~:text=The%20incidence%20of%20both%20non,cancers%20occur%20globally%20each%20year [accessed Aug 2022]