Immunotherapy is a rapidly-evolving field and many clinicians have limited experience using these agents to treat the more rare NMSCs. SITC developed this CPG because clinicians need expert guidance to interpret the nuances in the available evidence for shared decision-making with their patients.
MILWAUKEE (PRWEB)
August 03, 2022
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), the world’s leading member-driven organization dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the science and application of cancer immunotherapy, is pleased to announce the publication of the first clinical practice guideline (CPG) focused on immunotherapy for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC).
The manuscript, “Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immunotherapy for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer”, was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), SITC’s peer-reviewed, open-access online journal and will be available in SITC’s CPG Mobile App in the coming weeks.
“Treatment options for patients with advanced or metastatic nonmelanoma skin cancer were once extremely limited and offered very little hope for disease control,” said Isaac Brownell, MD, PhD, Co-chair of the SITC Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel. “Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now extending the years of life of many patients and have become the standard of care for these difficult-to-treat tumors.”
NMSCs include a variety of tumor types, with the most prominent being cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). The recent FDA approvals of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of MCC, CSCC, and BCC have markedly improved outcomes for patients with advanced NMSCs. However, many aspects of the practical use of these agents are complex and markedly different from conventional therapies for skin cancers. Furthermore, the treatment landscape continues to evolve, with new agents and combinations as well as checkpoint inhibitor strategies for earlier stages of disease being evaluated in clinical trials.
“Immunotherapy is a rapidly-evolving field and many clinicians have limited experience using these agents to treat the more rare NMSCs,” said Ann Silk, MD, MS, Co-chair of the SITC Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel. “SITC developed this CPG because clinicians need expert guidance to interpret the nuances in the available evidence for shared decision-making with their patients.”
SITC convened the Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel to systematically review the most current data and develop evidence- and consensus-based recommendations on topics including patient selection, staging, biomarker testing, immunotherapy treatment selection, post-treatment response evaluation and surveillance, and patient quality of life support, among others.
“SITC’s clinical practice guidelines are an important resource for clinicians seeking guidance on immunotherapy,” said SITC President Patrick Hwu, MD. “Through the open-access guideline publications, free CPG Mobile App, and companion educational opportunities, SITC is committed to offering the oncology community the necessary information to offer the benefits of immunotherapy to their patients.”
For clinicians seeking to deepen their understanding of the published manuscript, SITC is offering free, live webinars and on-demand modules hosted on the SITC website that will provide practical management pearls and case-based learning on immunotherapy for the treatment of NMSC in addition to an opportunity to ask questions of expert faculty:
Practical Management Pearls for Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer – SITC CPG Webinar
Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 – 11 a.m.–12 p.m. ET – REGISTER NOW
Case Studies in Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer – SITC CPG Webinar
Friday, Oct. 28, 2022 – 3:30–4:30 p.m. ET – REGISTER NOW
Click here to view SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines on-demand webinars.
About the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines
SITC’s Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines program has produced a collection of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) developed by multi-disciplinary panels of experts who draw from their own practical experience as well as evidence in the published literature and clinical trial data to provide evidence- and consensus-based recommendations on when and how to use immunotherapy to help improve outcomes for patients with cancer. You may read the entire series of CPGs in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), the society’s open access, peer-reviewed online journal.
SITC’s expanding catalogue of CPGs spans disease-state specific guidelines for several solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, and toxicity guidelines to assist clinicians with the management of immune-related adverse events. The CPGs are continuously evaluated for potential updates as new data becomes available.
About SITC
Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word “cure” a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
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