ReviewFrontiers in medicine2026
Epidermal radionuclide therapy with rhenium-188 in non-melanoma skin cancer: a short narrative review.
Review in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), represents the most common malignancy in fair-skinned populations and constitutes a growing public health burden. Although surgery remains the standard of care, a significant proportion of patients are poor surgical candidates due to age, comorbidities, tumor location or personal preference, highlighting the need for effective non-surgical alternatives. Objective: To review current therapeutic strategies and the clinical, physical and radiobiological basis, indications, efficacy and safety of rhenium-188 Epidermal Radionuclide Therapy (ERT) as an emerging treatment option in NMSC. Results: Re-188 ERT is a form of high-dose superficial brachytherapy using an unsealed beta-emitting radioisotope embedded in a synthetic resin applied directly to the skin surface. Owing to the limited penetration depth of beta radiation, high doses can be delivered selectively to superficial tumors while sparing deeper tissues. Clinical series report complete response rates ranging from 90 to 100%, with very low recurrence rates and predominantly mild, transient toxicity. Cosmetic outcomes are generally good to excellent. Emerging evidence also supports its potential role in extramammary Paget disease and refractory keloids. Conclusion: Re-188 ERT is a safe, effective and minimally invasive alternative for selected patients with NMSC, particularly those unsuitable for surgery or with tumours in anatomically complex areas. While it does not replace surgery as first-line treatment, its high efficacy, favourable cosmetic outcomes and single-session outpatient delivery makes it a valuable addition to the therapeutic armamentarium. Further prospective studies are warranted to optimize dosimetry, reduce toxicity and expand evidence for additional indications.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.