ASCO 2026 | Can immunotherapy reduce surgery in advanced head & neck BCC?
Joseph Curry, MD, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, discusses the challenges of advanced head & neck basal cell carcinoma basal cell carcinoma, particularly when patients have failed surgery, and highlights the potential of immunotherapy to reduce or eliminate the need for surgery. Moving immunotherapy earlier in the treatment profile could lead to a decrease in the amount of treatment needed afterwards, and in some cases, result in a complete response, thereby potentially eliminating surgery. This interview took place during the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting in Chicago, IL.
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Transcript
Yeah, advanced basal cell carcinoma is a really significant challenge, especially when patients have failed surgery. We can get patients onto hedgehog inhibitors, but there are significant side effects that go along with that. So looking to move immunotherapy earlier in the treatment profile suggests that we could potentially impact patients by maybe even decreasing the amount of surgery or treatment that they need afterwards, and in some cases, eliminate surgery if we have a complete response...
Yeah, advanced basal cell carcinoma is a really significant challenge, especially when patients have failed surgery. We can get patients onto hedgehog inhibitors, but there are significant side effects that go along with that. So looking to move immunotherapy earlier in the treatment profile suggests that we could potentially impact patients by maybe even decreasing the amount of surgery or treatment that they need afterwards, and in some cases, eliminate surgery if we have a complete response. We saw a great response rate, including a number of complete responses in this trial, suggesting that that may actually be the case, that we could eliminate less surgery, or we could reduce surgery, and we could also potentially eliminate surgery in some cases.
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