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Immune Status Does Not Independently Influence cSCC Metastasis When Stratified by Tumor Stage - Dual-Center Study

O'Connor DM, Murad F, Danesh MJ, et al.
Dermatologic Surgery (2022)

JC: January 2023

This study examined whether immune status independently predicts metastasis in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) after controlling for tumor stage. Results showed that when patients were stratified by BWH or AJCC tumor stage, immunosuppression did not independently increase the risk of metastasis, suggesting that tumor stage is the dominant prognostic factor.

Take-Home Messages

  • •Tumor stage remains the primary driver of metastatic risk in cSCC, even in immunosuppressed patients.
  • •Staging systems should be applied uniformly regardless of immune status when assessing metastatic potential of cSCC.

Topic

Transplant & Immunosuppression

Skin cancer in organ transplant recipients, immunosuppression management

Abstract

Although immunocompromised patients have a higher risk of developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas, it is unknown whether immune status is an independent risk factor for poor outcomes. To compare cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma outcomes in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients when controlling for T-stage. We performed a retrospective cohort study at 2 tertiary care centers, examining 989 primary tumors from 814 immunocompromised patients (solid organ transplant: 259 [31.7%], ...

Literature review only. This summary is an editorial interpretation and may not reflect the complete findings of the original publication. Always refer to the full-text article for clinical decision-making.