Systemic Therapy for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers: Latest Advances

This review provides an update on approved and emerging systemic therapies in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-melanoma skin cancers (squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma).

Many studies demonstrate the effectiveness of immunotherapy for all types of non-melanoma skin cancer. For basal cell carcinoma (BCC), hedgehog inhibitors (HHI) remain first-line but with poor tolerability. Numerous clinical trials studying both neoadjuvant and adjuvant use of anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapies in advanced NMSC are under investigation.

There is a growing number of systemic therapies available to treat non-melanoma skin cancers. The advent of immunotherapy has revolutionized the field and greatly improved survival compared to historical survival rates with cytotoxic chemotherapy.