Basal Cell Carcinoma News and Research

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Basal cell cancer begins in the lowest layer of the epidermis, the basal cell layer. About 8 out of 10 skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas. They usually begin on areas exposed to the sun, such as the head and neck. Basal cell carcinoma was once found mostly in middle-aged or older people. But now it is also being seen in younger people. This may be because people are spending more time in the sun without protecting their skin.

Basal cell carcinoma tends to grow slowly. It is very rare for a basal cell cancer to spread to distant parts of the body (metastasize). But if it is not treated, it can grow into nearby areas and spread into the bone or other tissues beneath the skin.

After treatment, basal cell carcinoma can come back (recur) in the same place on the skin. New basal cell cancers can also start in other places on the skin. As many as half of the people who have one basal cell cancer will get a new skin cancer within 5 years.

Safety tips to help decrease risk for developing skin cancer

Did you know that skin cancer is highly preventable? Because May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we want to highlight the fact that our lifestyle choices contribute greatly to our chances of getting skin cancer.

26 May 2017

Researchers find increase in new diagnoses of skin cancer

New diagnoses for two types of skin cancer increased in recent years, according to a Mayo Clinic-led team of researchers.

16 May 2017

Study reveals link between tanning dependence and other addictive behaviors

Despite the known dangers of exposure to ultraviolet light, many people continue to sunbathe and use indoor tanning beds with some users exhibiting a dependence to tanning. A new study from the Yale School of Public Health finds that such dependence is also associated with other addictive behaviors.

21 Mar 2017

Scientists find novel way for earlier detection of deadly Merkel cell carcinoma

Scientists have found a way to detect earlier if a deadly cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), is recurring in patients, according to a paper to be published 11 a.m. Eastern time, Dec. 7, in the journal Cancer.

7 Dec 2016

Common bacteria on human skin may offer protection against diseases

There are more and more examples of the ways in which we can benefit from our bacteria. According to researcher Rolf Lood from Lund University in Sweden, this is true for the skin as well.

11 Nov 2016

How could emerging technologies impact cancer care?

The major innovations in cancer diagnosis, therapy/palliative care and surgical intervention are too numerous to list here. But enormous strides have taken place in stem cell therapy, monoclonal antibody therapy and genetic screening.

17 Oct 2016

New study shows hedgehog signalling offers protection against colon cancer

Many types of cancer are caused by gene mutations in the signalling pathways that control cell growth, such as the hedgehog signalling pathway.

8 Aug 2016

Study shows many nonmelanoma skin cancer patients still get sunburned

A recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins concludes that a substantial number of people with a history of the most frequent kind of nonmelanoma skin cancers still get sunburned at the same rate as those without previous history, probably because they are not using sun-protective methods the right way or in the right amounts.

20 Jul 2016

Scientists detect first cell from which tumour grows in skin cancers

Scientists have identified for the first time the 'cell of origin' - in other words, the first cell from which the cancer grows - in basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, and followed the chain of events that lead to the growth of these invasive tumours.

11 Jul 2016

Clinical study finds two topical skin creams as effective noninvasive treatments for low-risk superficial BCC

Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common cancers and its incidence is increasing worldwide, putting a significant burden on health services. Topical treatments are available for superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC) but there has a lack of long-term follow-up data to guide treatment decisions.

3 Jun 2016

Vismodegib drug shows no addded benefit in advanced or symptomatic metastatic BCC patients

Vismodegib (trade name: Erivedge) has already been approved since 2013 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or symptomatic metastatic BCC and has already undergone an early benefit assessment according to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products.

28 May 2016

Scientists aim to identify marker that could indicate aggressive basal cell skin cancer

Most basal cell skin cancers are easily removed -- those on the arm, leg or back. But when the cancer is on the eyelid or when it starts to invade surrounding tissue, it's no longer straightforward.

21 Apr 2016

Anti-TNF therapy linked to ‘modest’ extra SCC risk

A Swedish population-based study shows that treatment with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors significantly increases the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, but not basal cell carcinoma, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

12 Feb 2016

New radiotherapeutic bandage shows promise against squamous cell carcinoma in animal model

A radiotherapeutic bandage is being evaluated by researchers for efficacy against squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in an animal model. These results could confirm the viability of a new and improved strategy for the radiotherapeutic treatment of skin cancer in the clinic. This work is being presented Oct. 28 at the 2015 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition, the world's largest pharmaceutical sciences meeting, in Orlando, Fla. Oct. 25-29.

29 Oct 2015

Michelson Diagnostics’ VivoSight OCT scanner provides accurate diagnosis of early-stage BCC, reduces skin biopsies by 36%

Michelson Diagnostics, a medical device company focused on applications of multi-beam Optical Coherence Tomography technology, today announces data showing that use of its VivoSight OCT scanner significantly improves diagnosis of basal-cell carcinoma at an earlier stage and reduces diagnostic biopsies by 36%.

22 Oct 2015

Roflumilast drug could inhibit growth of brain tumor in children

Current drugs may stop working against the most common type of brain tumor in children, medulloblastoma, but the tumor could be targeted in a new way, according to Stanford University scientists.

15 Sep 2015

HPPI commences enrollment for Phase II(b) SCORING clinical trial for cancer treatment

HedgePath Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and plans to commercialize innovative therapeutics for patients with cancer, announced today enrollment has commenced in its Phase II(b) SCORING (SUBA-Cap Objective Response in Gorlin's) clinical trial.

23 Aug 2015

Vismodegib therapy effective against medulloblastoma

A targeted therapy already used to treat advanced skin cancer is also effective against the most common subtype of the brain tumor medulloblastoma in adults and should be considered for treatment of newly diagnosed patients, according to research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

30 Jul 2015

Novartis announces FDA approval of Odomzo (sonidegib) 200 mg capsules for treatment of laBCC patients

Novartis today announced the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Odomzo (sonidegib, formerly LDE225) 200 mg capsules for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (laBCC) that has recurred following surgery or radiation therapy, or those who are not candidates for surgery or radiation therapy.

25 Jul 2015

New understanding of keratin 17 protein could lead to development of better ways to prevent cancer

New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that the protein keratin 17 - the presence of which is used in the lab to detect and stage various types of cancers - is not just a biomarker for the disease, but may play a critical role in tumor growth.

14 Jul 2015