HQ Team
28 September 2022: King’s College Hospital in the United Kingdom is conducting a phase IV clinical trial for a cancer-killing radioactive gel.
The EPIC-Skin study is looking at the use of rhenium radionuclide therapy for non-melanoma skin cancer, of which there are 147,000 new cases recorded in the UK each year, and more than 7.7 million globally.
The treatment consists of placing a cling film-like martial over the cancerous lesion. Liquid radiotherapy is then applied, penetrating the material and the cancerous skin beneath. The results have been very effective, and the researchers say that the treatment can kill all the cancer cells in a single session.
There are 120 adult participants in the King’s phase 4 international study. They will be observed for the next 24 months to see how well the treatment works and to note any associated side effects. The treatment is noninvasive, unlike the present procedure, which involves surgical removal of the affected area.
Other cancer-killing treatments under development include a cancer-killing virus and a robotic therapy.
Dr Nicola Mulholland, Consultant Nuclear Medicine Physician at King’s College Hospital and study Chief Investigator said, “With rates of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) on the rise globally, it is vitally important that new treatments are developed and tested. We are very pleased to be able to offer new therapies to patients involved in studies and trials, with the hope of advancing treatment for skin cancer.”
Dr Saqib Bashir, Consultant Dermatologist and Skin Cancer Lead at King’s College Hospital says, “When it comes to cancer research, it’s important to continually innovate. This study offers an opportunity to further investigate the efficacy of noninvasive epidermal radioisotope therapy.”
The EPIC-Skin study is also being conducted through study centres in Australia, Austria and Germany. The investigation is currently ongoing, and full results will be shared at a later time.
In India, skin cancer incidents are less than 1% of all cancers, according to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information. According to the institute, the incidence of skin cancers is found to be 3.18% of all the cancer patients registered over a period of one year at the centre. NMSC is known to be uncommon in Asians
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. There is a limit to the amount of radiation an area of your body can safely receive over your lifetime. But, if one area of the body has already received the safe lifetime dose of radiation, another area might still be treated.
