Use of Immunotherapy in Basal Cell Carcinoma Settings

Abstract

Cancer is a disease that occurs when a body's cells grow uncontrollably and spread. Cancer should be avoided by the immune system because it is designed to detect and kill abnormal cells, but cancerous cells can evade immune mechanisms. There are many different kinds of cancer, one including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which is a skin cancer. BCC is the most common type of human cancer and happens when DNA is damaged. In most cases, BCC is caused by ultraviolet (UV) exposure which damages DNA and induces tumor suppressor gene mutations. When the mutation of these genes occur, uncontrolled cell growth takes place and leads to tumor growth or formation. There are a few treatment options for BCC, including immunotherapy which is typically used on locally advanced or metastatic cases of BCC. Immunotherapy is a treatment that targets the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells. This kind of treatment can oppose mechanisms that cancer cells use to suppress an immune response with, give the immune system a memory response to returning cancer cells, and be combined with other treatments. Immunotherapy doesn’t always work, but it is personalized and typically has less severe side effects than other cancer treatments such as surgery. Immunotherapy has been impactful for patients intolerant to hedgehog pathway inhibitors as well. Currently, there are FDA approved immunotherapies for BCC such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition therapy, Cemiplimab, Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab, Atezolizumab, Ipilimumab, and Relatlimab. People are also currently trying to find new treatments for BCC by testing new immunotherapy drugs and combinations.