Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Field Cancerization and K... | Journal Club | MohsPedia | MohsPedia

Back to Journal Club

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Field Cancerization and Keratinocyte Cancer Prevention

Cox C, Brown S, Walpole E, et al.
Dermatologic Surgery (2025)

Open AccessJC: May 2025

This study examined the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in managing field cancerization and preventing new keratinocyte cancer development. The review synthesized emerging evidence on how systemic immunotherapy influences the broader field of sun-damaged skin beyond individual tumor treatment.

Take-Home Messages

•Immune checkpoint inhibitors may address field cancerization by enhancing immune surveillance across sun-damaged skin.
•The intersection of immunotherapy and chemoprevention is an active area of investigation for high-risk patients.

Topic

Chemoprevention

Nicotinamide, retinoids, immunotherapy for cancer prevention

Abstract

Therapies for individual keratinocyte carcinomas (KCs) do not prevent the onset of new KCs in a field of sun damage, and therefore the KC burden remains unchanged. To investigate the association of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with changes in field cancerization evaluated by the number of actinic keratoses (AKs) and KCs at baseline compared with 12 months after starting ICI therapy. This prospective cohort study was performed at the outpatient oncology clinic of a single tertiary publi...