KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to analyze the acSCC patients to delineate their characteristics, treatment approaches, and evolving outcomes.
- Elderly acSCC patients showed improved OS over time, while PFS remained unchanged; immunotherapy reduced mortality.
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) ranks as the second most prevalent cancer among individuals with fair skin. Limited epidemiological data exist for cSCC, particularly in advanced cases (acSCC).
Sophie Schneider and the team aimed to examine patients with acSCC to detail their characteristics, treatment strategies, and evolving outcomes across time.
This retrospective study was carried out at a single center over a 5-year duration, including all acSCC patients initiating systemic therapy. Data on patient demographics, cSCC treatment, treatment response, and survival were collected. Patients were divided equally into 2 chronological periods (periods 1 and 2). Subgroup analysis compared patients receiving immunotherapy (group 1) with those who did not (group 2).
The analysis comprised 127 patients, with patient numbers rising by an average of 19.7% annually. The majority were male (88/127), elderly (mean age 81.6 years), with comorbidities, and 27.6% were immunocompromised. Median overall survival (OS) was longer in period 2 (20 months) compared to period 1 (10 months) (HR [95% CI] = 0.62 [0.39; 0.98], P= 0.04). Age and immunosuppression correlated with increased progression risk.
Among 64 patients receiving second-line therapy, 38 underwent immunotherapy (group 1) and 26 received other treatments (group 2). Immunotherapy reduced mortality and progression by 71% (P= 0.004) and 67% (P= 0.002), respectively.
The results demonstrated a notable improvement in OS over time, doubling between periods 1 and 2. However, progression-free survival (PFS) did not show a corresponding increase. In period 2, access to immunotherapy notably reduced mortality for the majority of patients. Advanced age and immunosuppression were linked to lower PFS.
This study received no funding.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38492114/
Schneider, S., Ferte, T., Ducharme, O. et al. “Improved survival over time with immunotherapy in locally advanced and metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas.” J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 150, 133 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-023-05593-2.
