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.

NEJM hails vismodegib as ‘the greatest advance in therapy yet seen’ for advanced BCC

Vismodegib, a new skin cancer drug for patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma tested by TGen, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare and Mayo Clinic, is hailed as "the greatest advance in therapy yet seen" for advanced basal cell carcinoma in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.

14 Jun 2012

Erivedge drug shows promise against advanced basal cell carcinoma

It's the most common form of skin cancer, but in its advanced stages, basal cell carcinoma has the potential to become disfiguring and life threatening. An international phase 2 study headed by Mayo Clinic led to the recent Food and Drug Administration approval of the first drug of its kind to help advanced basal cell carcinoma patients who have few treatment options.

8 Jun 2012

Imiquimod and PDT equivalent for superficial basal cell carcinoma

Imiquimod cream and photodynamic therapy for superficial basal cell carcinoma result in near equivalent rates of tumor-free survival after 1 year of treatment, a review shows.

1 Jun 2012

Painkillers may reduce skin cancer risk

Commonly used painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, may reduce the risk for skin cancer, study results suggest.

1 Jun 2012

Common pain killers linked to decreased skin cancer risk

Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is associated with a decreased risk for skin cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, study findings indicate.

31 May 2012

NSAIDs may offer protection against skin cancer

A new study suggests that aspirin and other similar painkillers may help protect against skin cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings indicate that skin cancer prevention may be added to the benefits of these commonly used medications.

29 May 2012

NCKU student receives Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award from ASBMB

Wan-Pei Su, a graduate student of Molecular Medicine at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), southern Taiwan, has received a Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) to attend the annual conference on Experimental Biology (EB) in San Diego in April 2012.

10 May 2012

Austrian scientists challenge the clinical relevance of the term “basal-like” breast cancer subtype

Not all breast cancers are the same. Different types can mean different prognoses for the patient, and a different kind of treatment may be adequate. But how to classify tumors? Are molecular classification methods reliable? Mohammad Ali Lavasani and Farid Moinfar from the Unit of Breast and Gynecologic Pathology at the Medical University of Graz, Austria give a critical review of the literature with focus on “basal-like” carcinoma.

11 Apr 2012

Electronic pathology report more accurately identifies nonmelanoma skin cancer

Henry Ford Hospital dermatology researchers are urging caution about using claims data for identifying nonmelanoma skin cancer, suggesting that the commonly used method, which previously had not been validated, may be unreliable.

6 Apr 2012

Hedgehog and mTOR pathway are active in esophageal cancer

Identification of a non-traditional pathway for spiriting a cancer-promoting protein into the cell nucleus points to a possible combination therapy for esophageal cancer and indicates a mechanism of resistance for new drugs that attack the Hedgehog pathway.

20 Mar 2012

BfArM grants Moberg Derma approval to initiate Limtop clinical phase I trial for actinic keratosis

The German- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has granted Moberg Derma approval to initiate a clinical phase I trial for Limtop. Limtop is an innovative formulation of an immunomodulatory compound with potential to treat actinic keratosis, genital warts and basal cell carcinoma.

11 Mar 2012

IDS, AADA disappointed in postponement of vote by Idaho on indoor tanning bed legislation

The Idaho Dermatology Society (IDS) and the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) are disappointed in the postponement of the vote by the Idaho House of Representatives on House Bill 486, which would ban the use of indoor tanning beds by minors under the age of 18.

5 Mar 2012

Genentech receives FDA approval for Vismodegib to treat skin cancer

A new skin cancer drug tested for the first time in the world five years ago at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare just received expedited approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a remarkable accomplishment in new drug development.

2 Feb 2012

Roche’s skin cancer drug Erivedge gets FDA nod

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) this Monday approved a pill that treats the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

31 Jan 2012

FDA approves Genentech's Erivedge for treatment of BCC

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that Erivedge (vismodegib) capsule was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with a type of skin cancer, called basal cell carcinoma (BCC), that has spread to other parts of the body or that has come back after surgery or that their healthcare provider decides cannot be treated with surgery or radiation.

31 Jan 2012

Genentech receives FDA approval for Erivedge to treat basal cell carcinoma

Today, Erivedge (vismodegib) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adult patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer. The drug is intended for use in patients with locally advanced basal cell cancer who are not candidates for surgery or radiation and for patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

31 Jan 2012

New data from Infinity saridegib and gemcitabine Phase 1b/2 combination trial on pancreatic cancer

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced updated data from the Phase 1b portion of an ongoing Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of saridegib in combination with the chemotherapy gemcitabine in patients with previously untreated, metastatic pancreatic cancer.

20 Jan 2012

Live interactive consultations can improve clinical outcomes for patients

UC Davis Health System dermatologists, using videoconferencing technology known as teledemedicine, have determined that live interactive consultations can improve clinical outcomes for patients because they usually involve beneficial changes in medical diagnosis and disease management that otherwise might not occur.

19 Jan 2012

Tanning beds raise risk of skin cancer – kids need to be barred

The issue regarding the banning of under-18s from tanning beds has come up again. Manitoba MP James Bezan is pushing for it. The Conservative MP introduced a private members’ bill Thursday that would bar anyone under the age of 18 from using a tanning bed, as well as require tanning salons to improve the warning signs and labels on and around their machines.

18 Dec 2011

Women with non-melanoma skin cancers more likely to have smoked cigarettes

Women who have non-melanoma skin cancers are more likely to have smoked cigarettes compared to women without skin cancer, said researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., who published study results in a recent issue of Cancer Causes & Control.

9 Dec 2011