Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common forms of cancer. Although most cases are cured with surgical excision, a few tumors are associated with a high risk of local or distant relapse. In these patients, chemotherapy achieves mostly short-lived responses that do not lead to a curative effect and are associated with severe toxicities. Recently, PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab was approved by the regulatory authorities for the treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, in light of the results of phase I and II clinical studies. Indeed, cemiplimab showed a benefit in terms of Overall Response Rate (ORR) of 50% and Disease Control Rate (DCR) of approximately 65% in a cohort of metastatic patients (mCSCC), with even better results in a cohort of locally advanced patients (laCSCC), where the DCR was close to 80%. Cemiplimab, in clinical studies and subsequently in clinical practice, has shown an overall acceptable spectrum of toxicity. However, the possibility of serious, life-threatening or chronic side effects, and the existence of a percentage of patients with innate or acquired resistance, are driving several research lines towards the identification of biomarkers that can predict resistance or response to treatment. In this study we aimed to analyze blood samples from a cohort of patients with laCSCC or mCSCC treated with cemiplimab, in order to quantify and characterize circulating DNA at baseline and during therapy, quantify several biomarkers and analyze the expression of PD-L1 on exosomal vesicles to correlate with the clinical response. Below we report the results of the preliminary analysis.

Identification of prognostic and predictive liquid biopsy biomarkers in patients with Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC) treated with Cemiplimab.

TANDA, ENRICA TERESA
2025-05-29

Abstract

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common forms of cancer. Although most cases are cured with surgical excision, a few tumors are associated with a high risk of local or distant relapse. In these patients, chemotherapy achieves mostly short-lived responses that do not lead to a curative effect and are associated with severe toxicities. Recently, PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab was approved by the regulatory authorities for the treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, in light of the results of phase I and II clinical studies. Indeed, cemiplimab showed a benefit in terms of Overall Response Rate (ORR) of 50% and Disease Control Rate (DCR) of approximately 65% in a cohort of metastatic patients (mCSCC), with even better results in a cohort of locally advanced patients (laCSCC), where the DCR was close to 80%. Cemiplimab, in clinical studies and subsequently in clinical practice, has shown an overall acceptable spectrum of toxicity. However, the possibility of serious, life-threatening or chronic side effects, and the existence of a percentage of patients with innate or acquired resistance, are driving several research lines towards the identification of biomarkers that can predict resistance or response to treatment. In this study we aimed to analyze blood samples from a cohort of patients with laCSCC or mCSCC treated with cemiplimab, in order to quantify and characterize circulating DNA at baseline and during therapy, quantify several biomarkers and analyze the expression of PD-L1 on exosomal vesicles to correlate with the clinical response. Below we report the results of the preliminary analysis.
29-mag-2025
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11567/1250037
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