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Immunotherapy in non-melanoma skin cancer

Publication at First Faculty of Medicine |
2022

Abstract

Antitumoral immunotherapy is a golden standard in modern therapy in the increasing number of metastatic or locally advanced solid tumors. This treatment achieves significant and long-lasting treatment responses and reveals prolongation of progression free survival, overall survival, together with quality-of-life improvement.

In the field of malignant cutaneous tumors, the therapeutic effect of immunotherapy is well-known in metastatic melanoma, in which the immunotherapy became a standard of the modern systemic treatment. The effect of the immunotherapeutic drugs was also established in metastatic and locally advanced non-melanoma skin cancer, namely squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma.

Currently, two monoclonal antibodies with confirmed antitumoral effect in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer are available in our conditions, namely cemiplimab and avelumab. The article presents an overview of these antitumoral drugs and deals with their therapeutic effect, treatment management, mechanism of action and the adverse effects.