Targeted Therapy Drugs for Basal Cell Carcinoma

Targeted therapy drugs treat cancer by targeting specific features, changes, or substances in or on cancer cells. Each type of targeted therapy works differently, but they all change the way a cancer cell grows, divides, repairs itself, or interacts with other cells.

When might targeted drugs be used to treat basal cell carcinoma?

It’s very rare for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), also known as basal cell skin cancer, to reach an advanced stage, but if it does, targeted drugs can often be helpful.

Like chemotherapy and immunotherapy, targeted drugs enter the bloodstream and reach almost all areas of the body, so they can sometimes be helpful against skin cancers that have spread too far to be treated with surgery or radiation.

Hedgehog pathway inhibitors

These targeted drugs can be used to treat some advanced or recurrent basal cell skin cancers. Examples include:

• Vismodegib (Erivedge)
• Sonidegib (Odomzo)

Cell signaling pathways are how a cell carries messages from one part of the cell to another, or to other cells. The hedgehog pathway is a cell signaling pathway that is crucial for development before birth, and it stays active in some adult cells. In most BCCs, the cells have gene changes (mutations) that keep this pathway switched on, which helps the cancer grow. These drugs target a protein in this pathway.

For BCCs that have spread, that have come back after surgery or radiation therapy, or that can’t be treated with surgery or radiation, these targeted drugs can often help shrink tumors or slow their growth.

These drugs are taken as capsules, typically once a day.

Possible side effects

Side effects of these drugs can include:

• Muscle spasms
• Joint pain
• Hair loss
• Fatigue
• Problems with taste
• Poor appetite and weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Itchy skin
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Loss of menstrual periods

Because the hedgehog pathway affects fetal development, these drugs should not be taken if someone is pregnant or could become pregnant. It is not known whether these drugs could harm the fetus if taken by a male partner. Anyone taking these drugs should use reliable birth control during and for some time after treatment.