New nuclear medicine therapy cures non-melanoma skin cancer in one session

Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common cancer in the world. About 1.2 million cases of this tumor type are diagnosed worldwide each year, of which 80% correspond to a type called basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The remaining 20% ​​are usually squamous cells. They usually appear in areas most exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck, arms and hands, and affect the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin.

Since 2020, skin cancer in Spain has the incidence rate is 47 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. The rate of basal cell carcinoma is much higher: 253 cases per 100,000 people per year. This is a type of cancer that, although usually does not lead to metastasis, causes significant morbidity, especially if, according to experts, it is not diagnosed and treated adequately and in a timely manner.

Until recently, many patients had to undergo surgery annually to eliminate this type of tumor. However, changes have occurred over the past three years. therapeutic alternatives what, supporting same efficiency than conventional surgery It is painless, non-invasive and allows you to destroy cancer cells without damaging surrounding tissue.

This is the case of an innovative treatment that was launched by specialists in dermatology and nuclear medicine at the Cancer Center of the University Hospital of Navarra (CCUN), during which uses a type of radioisotope – rhenium 188 – that emits a “precise and personalized” dose of radiation. and allows you to attack cancer cells in one session using subsequent healing, which occurs in stages, from 60 to 180 days after application.

Lydia Sancho, a nuclear medicine specialist in skin cancer and melanoma at CCUN, explained that this treatment “acts to a maximum depth of three millimeters, without penetrating into the deepest layers of the skin”. “The radiation is directed exclusively at the area being treated, hence its the ability to fight localized tumors on areas of the body with complex geometry or when the surface of the skin is uneven, for example. in the face

. Its action is based on local cytotoxicity, that is, on “cause cell death only in the area where the therapy was applied”he noted, according to Ep.

The procedure involves applying a radioactive paste to the damaged area, which remains on the area for 45 to 180 minutes, depending on the size and depth of the tumor. “This process is completely painless and outpatient, and does not pose any risk to the patient or other people”the specialist specified.

Development of this therapy “improves quality of life people suffering from this disease, and is especially useful for the nose, neck, ears, forehead, lips and scalp, “also improving the aesthetic result”as emphasized by Gabriel Schlager, a specialist in dermatology in the field of skin cancer and melanoma.

This innovative therapy should be performed by a nuclear doctor, after the patient is examined by a dermatologist, who decides whether he or she is suitable for treatment. A biopsy of the lesion is “necessary to determine the true depth of the area to be treated in order to offer personalized therapy.”

Already in public hospitals

Just over a month ago, the 12 October hospital in Madrid used this innovative method for the first time in Spain to treat non-melanoma skin cancer in two patients who showed an excellent response after three months of follow-up. , no signs of illness. Moreover, they experienced no toxicity and their aesthetic results were very good.

Experts note that during the healing process, patients may experience redness, scabbing, itching and even slight bleeding in the first stage before the body begins to remove dead cancer cells and replace them with new ones. When the process is completed, There are no scars or deformations left.