Rhenium-SCT® is a painless, non-invasive treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer. It offers an aesthetically appealing alternative to traditional skin cancer treatments such as Mohs surgery, which involves removing then examining thin layers of skin one at a time to check whether the cancerous tissue has been completely removed.
Need answers quickly?
Our Rapid Diagnostics Centre offers fast access to advanced imaging, specialist clinics and on-site testing - helping you get clarity in days, not weeks. Plus, our 24/7 private GP service is here whenever you need urgent advice.
Our charitable purpose
As a charitable hospital, we reinvest in exceptional care, research and innovation - helping us improve healthcare for patients here and far beyond our walls.
Everything you need for your visit
Your Patient Hub brings together everything you need to prepare for your visit, understand your care and know what to expect throughout your stay.
Non-Invasive Skin Cancer Treatment Rhenium-SCT
Also known as: Skin Cancer Therapy
Easy access
Call us today to book an appointment
Fast referral
Get seen and treated within 14 days
What is it for?
To provide a painless, non-invasive treatment to patients with non-melanoma skin cancer
Non-Invasive Skin Cancer Treatment Rhenium-SCT consultation at The London Clinic
Rhenium-SCT® is a ground-breaking advancement in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer, or NMSC, that offers a non-invasive and aesthetically favourable alternative to traditional treatments (like surgery) and can be completed in just one session.
Produced by OncoBeta, this pain-free treatment uses a low dose of radiation in the form of a radioactive paste to treat superficial skin cancers.
Once applied to the target treatment area, the specially formulated paste is left in place for a carefully calculated length of time (usually somewhere between 30 to 180 minutes, depending on the size and depth of the area needed to be treated).
The treatment gets to work by specifically targeting and destroying any cancer cells located within the treatment area. At the same time, it spares any healthy tissue in the surrounding area and helps activate the immune system to repair itself.
After the treatment is finished, you’re completely free to go home.
Through this approach, Rhenium-SCT® can not only deliver improved quality of life and faster recovery times but also reduce the likelihood of your skin cancer coming back.
Why use Rhenium-SCT®?
Rhenium-SCT® can offer several other benefits to NMSC patients. For example:
- It’s painless and non-invasive (when no break or cut is created in the skin)
- It has a short treatment time (usually somewhere between 30 to 180 minutes)
- There’s no need for anaesthesia
- It delivers complete tumour regression in 98.5% of lesions treated
- There’s no scarring or disfigurements
- It’s adaptable to different skin surfaces
At The London Clinic, we are proud to be the first private hospital to launch this advanced treatment in the UK and are now offering it to patients diagnosed with NMSC conditions like basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
Through our team of world-class consultants’ experience and expertise, we can help combat your skin cancer using a state-of-the-art treatment method that’s highly precise, painless and delivers results in just one session.
From the moment you have your first consultation, our team will ensure you receive exceptional personal care throughout your treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer with us, keeping you as comfortable and well-informed as possible on what to expect during your patient journey.
FAQs
While Rhenium-SCT® involves exposure to radiation, the amount of radiation is controlled and unable to penetrate through the deeper layers of the skin.Some of the most common side effects associated with the procedure can include redness, swelling and bleeding, all of which can occur during the healing period.However, in some cases, it can also cause:
- Erythema
- Local infections or fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Skin necrosis
- Fatigue
- Hair loss at the treatment site
- De-pigmentation of the treatment site
- Local tumours at the treatment site as a later consequence of radiotherapy
- Radiation ulcers
During the initial healing phase, you might experience some redness, crusting, itching or minor bleeding as your body eliminates the dead cancer cells and replaces them with healthy tissue. However, you should start to see your full results appear anywhere between 60 and 180 days.
In most cases, you will only need to attend one session of Rhenium-SCT®.
Using Rhenium-SCT® to treat NMSC can offer a wide variety of benefits. For example:
- It’s painless: Rhenium-SCT® is a painless therapy that requires no anaesthesia, making it ideal for elderly patients, those with allergies, multiple health conditions or low pain tolerance.
- It only takes one session: In nearly all cases, Rhenium-SCT® will only involve a single session to deliver results.
- It’s non-invasive: Rhenium-SCT® is a non-invasive medical procedure, meaning it doesn’t involve any cuts or breaks in the skin. This eliminates the need for stitches and significantly reduces the risk of secondary infections.
- It can be personalised: Rhenium-SCT® is a precise, personalised therapy that targets only the affected area, ensuring no unnecessary damage to any other healthy tissue outside the pre-marked safety border.
- It doesn’t take long: Depending on the size and depth of the targeted lesions, Rhenium-SCT® is an easy, practical procedure with a short treatment duration.
- It’s aesthetically appealing: Rhenium-SCT® delivers exceptional aesthetic outcomes with minimal to no scarring, rapid healing and restored functionality.
Rhenium-188 is the radioisotope of a chemical element called rhenium and is commonly used to emit beta (ß) radiation during various medical treatments.Since this form of radiation consists of particles that can only penetrate human tissue up to a depth of 2–3 mm, this makes rhenium-188 perfect for treating surface-level tissues without harming deeper parts of the body.It also has a relatively short half-life of 17 hours, allowing treatments to be completed both quickly and efficiently.
When your recovery is fully complete, your skin may look a bit lighter and firmer but have no scarring or deformity. Your dermatologist will also regularly monitor you throughout the healing process to ensure optimal results.
Once your procedure has been completed, our team will organise follow-up appointments with you to monitor the progress of your healing.While we will make sure to prioritise arranging these around your personal circumstances, you will need to attend these appointments two weeks and three months after your procedure. You’ll also then need a third follow-up appointment once your wound has fully healed.
We offer Fixed Price Packages
Where possible, we’ll provide a fixed-price package for your hospital care. This covers your hospital stay, nursing, and use of our facilities, giving you a clear guide to what those costs will be.
- Pre-op assessment
- Hospital stay, nursing care and meals
- Tests, scans and physio during your stay
- Take-home medication (up to 5 days)
- Post-op follow-up appointments
- Standard equipment or prosthesis (if needed)
- Unplanned extended stay or ITU (if clinically required)
- Initial consultation and any tests done during it
- Consultant and anaesthetist fees (quoted separately)
- Physio or therapy before or after your stay
- Diagnostics before admission (unless agreed in your plan)
- Specialist medication beyond 5 days
- Ambulance transport or bespoke prosthetics
Your consultant’s fees are quoted separately and shared directly by their office after your consultation. These professional fees cover the time, expertise, and care provided by your consultant before, during, and after your treatment. See our full terms and conditions
Understanding the patient journey
After your BCC or SCC diagnosis has been confirmed through a biopsy, you will have various treatment options discussed and recommended to you, including Rhenium-SCT®. If this is selected as your preferred form of treatment, you’ll be referred to a specialist treatment centre, like us at The London Clinic. Here, a multidisciplinary team made up of a dermatologist, skin cancer-specialised GP, nuclear physician and radio oncologist will work together to perform the procedure and help you achieve remission.
Step 1: Pre-treatment preparation
Before your treatment starts, your skin will be cleansed to remove any crusts or scabs. The lesion area, including a small safety margin, will then be carefully marked before a clear protective film is applied. This is to help prevent the rhenium-188 radioactive compound from coming into direct contact with your skin.
Step 2: Application of Rhenium-SCT®
After loading a specifically designed application device called the OncoBeta® applicator, your clinician will apply a thin layer of the rhenium-188 compound in the form of a paste over the area to be treated. It will then form a sealed, dry, flexible film and be left for a pre-determined length of time (usually between 30 to 180 minutes), depending on the size and depth of the lesion.
Step 3: Foil removal and disposal
When your treatment is complete, the rhenium-188 compound and protective film will be removed and safely disposed of. You are then free to go home.
Step 4: After-care and follow-up
In general, there are no special aftercare instructions you’ll need to follow as the now-dead tumour cells will start to gradually become replaced by new healthy cells. Full recovery typically takes between 60 and 180 days. But during this period, your healing progress will be closely monitored through regular follow-up appointments to ensure optimal recovery.
Why choose The London Clinic?
Trusted for over 90 years, The London Clinic is an independent charitable hospital that reinvests into care, research, and support for those who can’t easily access private treatment.
The UK’s largest independent hospital
More patients choose The London Clinic than any other.
Top-rated by real patients
4.86/5 from over 1,600 reviews on Doctify and over 4.5 on Google.
Full intensive care on-site
World-class 13-bed ICU for expert support if your care becomes complex.
Investing in clinical excellence
Backed by Northwestern, we equip our teams with cutting-edge medical equipment.
0% Finance Options
We’ve teamed up with Chrysalis to offer you funding options that allow you to spread the cost of your treatment.
If you choose to pay for your treatment at The London Clinic over 12 months, you can make use of a great 0% interest option and pay nothing extra. Or you can choose to pay over two to five years at 14.9% APR.
Trustees of the London Clinic Ltd trading as The London Clinic is an Appointed Representative of Chrysalis Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The London Clinic is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Chrysalis Finance Limited may not be so authorised and regulated. Cancer treatments or transplants aren’t covered by finance packages. Finance options are only available for UK patients.