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You are here: Cancer information / Cancer type / Skin - non-melanoma / Research and development

Glossary

Research and development in non-melanoma skin cancer

Our knowledge of cancer is always expanding. Researchers and healthcare professionals take the knowledge gained from research studies and use it to develop better practices that will help prevent, detect and treat non-melanoma skin cancer, as well as improve the quality of life of people with this cancer.

 

The following information is a selection of research showing promise for non-melanoma skin cancer.

Risk reduction

Risk reduction strategies may reduce the chance of developing cancer.

 

Noteworthy research includes:

  • Many people will develop non-melanoma skin cancer during their lifetime. Fair skin and too much exposure to ultraviolet light are the most common risk factors for non-melanoma skin cancer. Some people have additional risk factors, including a weakened immune system (immunosuppression) after an organ transplant, precancerous conditions, certain genetic conditions (such as basal cell nevus syndrome or xeroderma pigmentosum) or a history of non-melanoma skin cancer. Chemoprevention uses certain substances, such as drugs or vitamins, to reduce the risk of cancer developing or recurring after treatment.
    • Retinoids are substances similar to vitamin A. Researchers are studying certain retinoids to see if they reduce the risk for non-melanoma skin cancer (Cancer, PMID* 21882176; Seminars in Oncology, PMID 22484184; Journal of Investigative Dermatology, PMID 22318383; Skin Therapy Letter, PMID 20700551; Nutrition and Cancer, PMID 21058193).
    • Researchers are studying nonsteroidalanti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as celecoxib (Celebrex) and diclofenac (Voltaren), to see if they can help reduce the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (Cancer, PMID 22644960; Archives of Dermatology, PMID 22782153; Journal of the National Cancer Institute, PMID 21115882; Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, PMID 19226541; European Journal of Dermatology, PMID 20507841; Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, PMID 19709346).
    • Ornithine decarboxylase is an enzyme that may plays a role in cancer cell growth. Researchers are studying ornithine decarboxylase inhibitors, such as alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DMFO), to see if they can reduce the risk for non-melanoma skin cancer (Cancer Prevention Research, PMID 20051365, PMID 20051371, PMID 20051367).
    • Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a protein that helps control cell growth, reproduction and survival. Researchers are studying mTOR inhibitors, such as everolimus (Afinitor), to help reduce the risk for non-melanoma skin cancer (Transplantation Proceedings, PMID 22974873; Transplant International, PMID 19951373; Dermatologic  Surgery, PMID 22805312). A phase III clinical trial is currently investigating using everolimus to see if it prevents skin cancers in people who receive a heart transplant (US National Institutes of Health, NCT00799188).
  • Researchers are also studying photodynamic therapy (PDT) to help prevent non-melanoma skin cancer in people who are at high risk of developing this disease (Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, PMID 22527427; British Journal of Dermatology, PMID 19863513; Dermatologic Surgery, PMID 22646842, PMID 19889154).

Diagnosis

A key area of research activity involves developing better ways to diagnose and stage non-melanoma skin cancer.

 

Noteworthy research includes:

  • Researchers are looking at new, less invasive ways to detect and determine the extent of non-melanoma skin cancer. New imaging techniques may be useful in diagnosing,  determining how much healthy tissue should be removed along with the tumour during surgery (surgical margins) and following-up after treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer.
    • Fluorescence imaging techniques, such as multiphoton laser scanning microscopy, allow in-depth imaging of the skin (Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, PMID 19782943; Lasers in Surgery and Medicine,PMID 19226578; Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, PMID 19110733).
    • Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is another non-invasive technique that researchers are currently studying as a diagnosis tool for non-melanoma skin cancer. OCT uses light waves to produce images of the skin (The British Journal of Ophthalmology, PMID 20516143; Journal of Biophotonics, PMID 19598177; Dermatologic Surgery, PMID 19397661). A phase I/II clinical trial is currently studying OCT as a diagnostic tool for non-melanoma skin cancer (US National Institutes of Health, NCT00390351).
    • Spectroscopy is the use of light, sound or radiation to study the components of materials. Researchers are currently studying spectroscopy techniques, including real-time Raman spectroscopy, oblique incidence diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (OIDRS) and elastic light single-scattering spectroscopy (ELSSS), to see if they can be used to tell the difference between malignant and benign skin tissue (Cancer Research, PMID 22434431, PMID 22491533; Dermatologic Surgery, PMID 22093365).
    • Researchers have studied polarimetry, an imaging technique that uses light, as a potential way to find skin cancer (Journal of Biomedical Optics, PMID 23232837).

Treatment

Researchers are looking for new ways to improve the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer. Advances in cancer treatment and new ways to manage the side effects related to treatment have improved the outlook and quality of life for many people with cancer.

 

Noteworthy research includes:

  • Researchers continue to look at ways to make photodynamic therapy (PDT) a more effective treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer. They are currently looking for new photosensitizers and better ways to deliver these drugs (Dermatologic Therapy, PMID 21276161; Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy, PMID 21080805; Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy,PMID 20230990). One study looked at giving PDT during surgery as a new way to treat non-melanoma skin cancer (Dermatologic Surgery, PMID 22607107).
  • Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a new way of delivering chemotherapy that uses an electric pulse. Research has shown that ECT may be effective in treating non-melanoma skin cancer (Dermatologic Therapy, PMID 21054709; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, PMID 20334952).
  • Most non-melanoma skin cancers are found and treated at an early stage, but some may spread to other parts of the body. The following drugs are in the early phases of testing to see if they are effective in treating advanced non-melanoma skin cancer.
    • Researchers are currently testing ingenol mebutate as a treatment for advanced non-melanoma skin cancer (Skin Therapy Letter, PMID 22358305; British Journal of Dermatology, PMID 21375515; The Australasian Journal of Dermatology, PMID 20546215).
    • Vismodegib may help treat advanced non-melanoma skin cancer (Future Oncology, PMID 22894666; Clinical Cancer Research, PMID 21300762; New England Journal of Medicine, PMID 22670903; Drugs, PMID 22788238). There is currently a phase II clinical trial studying vismodegib as a treatment for advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (NCT01367665). This drug is now approved in the USA for treatment of advanced or metastatic BCC.
    • Researchers are studying cetuximab (Erbitux) in the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer (Expert Opinion in Biological Therapy,PMID 22519406; Current Opinion in Oncology, PMID 22498572; Annals of Oncology, PMID 21865152; Anticancer Drugs, PMID 22643048; Head and Neck, PMID 19953623). There is currently a phase II trial studying cetuximab as a treatment for advanced  squamous cell carcinoma (US National Institutes of Health, NCT01154920).
    • There is currently a phase II clinical trial studying dasatinib (Sprycel) as a treatment for tumours that can’t be surgically removed (unresectable) or metastatic squamous cell skin cancer (US National Institutes of Health, NCT00563290).

Supportive care

Living with cancer can be challenging in many different ways. Supportive care can help people cope with cancer, its treatment and possible side effects.

 

Noteworthy research includes:

  • It is important that people with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer have regular medical checkups because they have a higher risk of developing a second primary cancer, such as lung, stomach or breast cancer (Journal of the National Cancer Institute,PMID 18728282; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, PMID 20570907; ASCO**, Abstract 22196).

 

*PMID is the National Library of Medicine PubMed abstract identity number.

**ASCO is the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

 

Find out more about the research process.

 

 

 

References

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