Focusing on Treatment Education in Austria this May for Skin Cancer Awareness Month

VIENNA - May 17, 2024 - PRLog -- OncoBeta® GmbH, a global medical device company specialising in innovative therapies for non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), is supporting World Skin Cancer Awareness Month (May 2024) by focusing on educating patients suffering with NMSCs about the various treatment options currently available.

Global incidence continues to rise, with over 7.7 million cases of NMSC recorded annually.¹ In response, the medical community is striving to enhance standard treatments and embrace new alternative approaches, enabling patients to personalise their care based on factors such as lesion localization, size, single or multiple lesions, age, other health conditions, and patient preference – all of which influence treatment selection. The overarching goal is to provide the optimal medical solution, achieve aesthetic outcomes, and prioritise a patient's quality of life.

Gerhard Dahlhoff, OncoBeta Medical Director, says, "Education is critical for addressing the rising rates of NMSCs globally, and knowing different treatment options available will hopefully alleviate the stress and anxiety surrounding a diagnosis. Treatments can impact your work life, home life or even retirement life but thanks to innovative treatment alternatives, you can now find the one that is effective and minimises the impact on your mental and physical wellbeing."

Laurie Leppard, residing in the Gold Coast, Australia, recently underwent treatment for a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) situated on his left ear.  Initial treatment options included surgery, risking disfigurement due to necessary cartilage removal, or radiation that would exacerbate his claustrophobia.

"Traditional radiation would've required me to wear a mask over my face during sessions, which was considerably daunting given my claustrophobia – especially as I would've needed more than 20 daily treatment visits," explains Laurie. "I really wasn't keen for surgery, and worries about more complications, so I made it my mission to research alternatives. When I discovered the newer rhenium-188 treatment – a mask-free, single-session, painless alternative without scarring – I jumped at it. Given that each clinic visit entails a 100km round trip, the single-session rhenium-188 treatment saved me considerable time, energy, discomfort, and disruption to my life."

Prof. Dr. Siroos Mirzaei, head of departments of Nuclear Medicine in Clinic Ottakring and Clinic Hietzing in Vienna, says, "Incidence of NMSCs is increasing in Austria, with approximately 30,000 in every year being diagnosed in their lifetime.² Patients are treated by dermatologists and in some cases also by plastic surgeons. Some patients with lesions in anatomically difficult locations are referred to our department for epidermal radionuclide treatment with rhenium-188."

In 2022, OncoBeta conducted research in Australia with over 1,200 people, to better understand attitudes towards skin health and treatment considerations. Australia has the highest incidence of recorded NMSCs, so this research provides valuable insights. The research asked patients diagnosed with NMSCs what factors they ranked highest: 97% said 'successful removal of the lesion' was extremely or very important. This was followed by 'fast recovery' (90%) then 'quick and easy procedure' (88%). More than three quarters of NMSC patients said a 'painless' procedure was extremely or very important (77%), followed by 'good aesthetic results' (76%) and 'non-invasive' (73%).^{3 §}

"As with the treatment of other oncological diseases, patient comfort, patient preference and the risk of recurrence must be taken into account," adds Prof. Mirzaei. "Of course, the overall cost of the patient's treatment must also be assessed, not forgetting the need for anaesthesia, inpatient treatment, the inability to work and, last but not least, the visible scars on the skin."

Mainstay treatments for NMSC include surgery, radiotherapy, cryotherapy and now epidermal radioisotope therapy, a procedure utilising the beta emitter radioisotope, rhenium-188:

• Surgery is a common treatment option for non-melanoma skin cancer; in particular 'Mohs' surgery. This is an invasive procedure to remove the cancer in several steps. First, a thin layer of tissue is removed. Then, a second thin layer of tissue is removed and viewed under a microscope to check for cancer cells. Layers are removed one at a time until the tissue viewed under a microscope shows no remaining cancer.
• Electrodessication and curettage is an option for some non-melanoma skin cancers. The doctor scoops out the cancer with a small, spoon-shaped instrument, then seals the wound and destroys any remaining cancer cells using heat.
• External beam radiation is sometimes used instead of surgery, especially for large NMSCs or for people who are not well enough to have surgery.^4,5 It uses electron or photon beams to kill the cancer cells.
• Light-based treatment may be recommended for early-stage NMSCs. For 2-3 weeks the skin is prepared by applying cream or ointment daily. Then the doctor places you under an LED phototherapy lamp. This provokes an immune reaction by your body which kills the skin cancer. The process may or may not be painful.
• Cryotherapy (freezing) can be used for small, shallow skin cancers. After applying an anaesthetic, the doctor uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the cancer and destroy the cells. A blister or sore may form which heals, revealing healthy skin. Reduced skin pigmentation may occur.
• Topical treatment, a chemotherapy cream can be applied to the skin for a period of time, for treatment of Bowen's disease – a mild, slow-growing type of skin cancer. Burning, redness and sores may occur.
• Rhenium-SCT is a localised radiation therapy that uses the rhenium-188 isotope which is applied as a paste directly to the lesion – it is a single session* lasting 45 to 180 minutes.^6-8 It is painless^6,7† and non-invasive^6‡. A crust or scab forms that may become itchy. Rhenium-188 therapy leaves no scar but the skin may appear lighter.

1. Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration, et al. JAMA Oncol. 2019;5(12):1749-1768.
2. Österreichische Krebshilfe (Austrian Cancer Aid). https://www.krebshilfe.net/fileadmin/user_upload/Dachverband/Brosch%C3%BCren/2021_Hautkrebs_Broschuere_WEB.pdf (Accessed March April 2024).
3. OmniPoll Survey November 2022.
4. Radiation therapy for skin cancer. Available at: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/skin-cancer/treatment/radiotherapy/ (Accessed March 2024).
5. Radiation therapy for basal and squamous cell skin cancers. Available at https://www.cancer.org/cancer/basal-and-squamous-cell-skin-cancer/treating/radiation-therapy.html (Accessed March 2024].
6. Castellucci P, et al. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021;48(5):1511-1521.
7. Cipriani C, et al. J Dermatol Treat. 2022;33(2):969–975. Epub 22 Jul 2020.
8. Data on file. OncoBeta, Garching, Germany.
9. Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration ARTG Public summary 400142.