Previous radiotherapy enhances cemiplimab efficacy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

In cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with cemiplimab, prior radiotherapy is associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS). This finding suggests the potential for combination treatment with cemiplimab plus radiotherapy.

Forty-five consecutively treated patients with cemiplimab for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma were included in this retrospective analysis. The research team assessed PFS and overall survival (OS), along with clinical pathologic characteristics.

Participants had a median age of 77 years, and the majority (73.3 percent) were male. After a median follow-up of 19 months, the median PFS and OS were not reached (mean PFS 21.3 months; mean OS 25.3 months).

In univariate and multivariate analyses, only previous radiotherapy showed a significant association with PFS (p=0.043 and p=0.046, respectively).

“Further exploration of this combined approach is warranted,” the researchers said.

The study was limited by its retrospective design, the small sample size, and the possible of inherent biases.

Cemiplimab is a programmed cell death-1 inhibitor that has been approved in 2018 for use among patients with locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma who are not eligible for curative therapies, according to the researchers.