Chemotherapy for metastatic basal cell carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatology

Background:

• Metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis.
• This case involves an extensive primary keratinizing BCC of the scalp with regional lymph node and skeletal metastases.

Observation:

• The patient's primary tumor and lymph node metastases were controlled with surgery and irradiation.
• Skeletal metastases initially responded to cisplatin/bleomycin and then cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/fluorouracil.

Findings:

• Progressive metastatic disease developed despite multiple chemotherapy regimens.
• Subsequent treatment with cisplatin/cyclophosphamide and single-agent etoposide or doxorubicin showed no response.

Implications:

• This case underscores the challenges in managing advanced BCC.
• It highlights the limited efficacy of conventional therapies in refractory metastatic BCC.
• Further research into novel treatment modalities is warranted for this aggressive cancer.