High-Risk Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers: Biological and Therapeutic Advances.

Nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most common cancers, with high-risk NMSCs sharing features such as poor histologic differentiation, invasion into deeper layers, and anatomic location. NMSC includes basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and Merkel cell carcinoma. Herein, the authors describe advances in understanding the genetic mechanisms of malignant transformation and the composition of tumor microenvironment for these cancers. They summarize recent therapeutic advances, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy for NMSCs. Effective skin protection against ultraviolet radiation-induced carcinogenesis remains an urgent unmet need for NMSC prevention. The authors highlight immune-based interventions as novel strategies to address this need.
Competing Interests: Disclosure S. Demehri is an inventor on filed patents for the use of calcipotriol plus 5-fluorouracil combination for the treatment of actinic keratosis and T cell-directed HPV vaccine for skin cancer prevention. S. Demehri and T. Oka are inventors on a provisional patent for the development of topical immunotherapy for basal cell carcinoma. T. Lee does not report potential conflicts of interest.
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