Treatment with Rhenium-SCT employs a single session, non-invasive, superficial application of a radioactive compound containing ß-emitting particles directly to the affected area, which eliminate cancer cells without the need for surgery.

The first Austrian patients have been treated in the global phase IV EPIC-Skin Study (Efficacy of Personalised Irradiation with Rhenium-SCT– for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer), according to OncoBeta GmbH.

"This is an important step for better understanding efficacy and patient outcomes after treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) with Rhenium-SCT. As the most prevalent cancer world-wide it is critical that we continue to look at ways to improve treatments and patient outcomes," says Prof. Dr. Siroos Mirazei, Head of the Nuclear Medicine department at Ottakring Hospital in Vienna, in a news release.

Today's patients are some of the first to be enrolled in the study with histologically confirmed stage I or II NMSC, and their progress will be followed up over a period up to 24 months. The international study will be conducted through study centres located in Austria, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with a planned total of 200 adult patients.

The EPIC-Skin study has an emphasis on Patient Reported Outcome Measures such as quality of life, treatment comfort and cosmetic outcomes, as well as further evaluating the efficacy of Rhenium-SCT for the treatment of NMSC. Patients in the study will utilize OncoBeta's Clinical Study app, providing a simple and streamlined way to record their experiences.

Traditional treatments for NMSCs predominantly involve surgery, which may have a risk of scarring or loss of function. The Rhenium-SCT is a painless, single session† non-invasive therapy that utilizes the radioisotope Rhenium-188 in an epidermal application with optimal properties for the treatment of NMSCs (non-melanoma skin cancers). 

The Rhenium-SCT is a precise, personalised therapy that is only applied to the area needed to treat without affecting the healthy tissue. The specially designed device ensures the Rhenium-SCT compound never comes in direct contact with the patient's skin and the application is safe and simple for the applying physician. Most cases of NMSCs can be treated using the Rhenium-SCT in one single session. Scar-free healing of the treated lesion area and the regeneration of healthy tissue 

"The role of radionuclide therapies in the treatment of many forms of cancers is becoming increasingly important. Rhenium-SCT is a new way of treating NMSCs through direct application to an affected area of any shape, without harming surrounding tissue. This minimises scarring and can have a profound effect on patient quality of life, where function or aesthetics are concerned," says Dr Gerhard Dahlhoff, Medical Director at OncoBeta GmbH.

"It's exciting what this study could mean for the future of NMSC treatment. We're not only reinforcing existing efficacy data of Rhenium-SCT but also asserting our focus on the patient's quality of life, treatment comfort and cosmetic outcomes," says OncoBeta CEO Shannon D. Brown III.

Clinicians who are interested in enrolling patients in the study can contact OncoBeta directly at www.oncobeta.com/contact