Many studies have shown that drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors can boost the immune system’s response to various types of cancer. Now, a phase II clinical trial has shown that patients with a serious form of skin cancer called advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the skin may benefit from the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab. The study was published by Wiley online at cancerpeer-reviewed Journal of the American Cancer Society.

Two others immune checkpoint inhibitors—cemiplimab and pembralizumab—have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in recent years for the treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma. This new study is the first to report results from clinical trials of nivolumab.

The single-arm trial included 24 patients who received nivolumab at a dose of 3 mg/kg every two weeks until cancer progression, developed unacceptable toxicity, or received 12 months of treatment.

During the trial, 14 patients (58.3%) benefited from the treatment and their cancer demonstrated a response. Treatment-related adverse events of any grade and grade ≥3 occurred in 21 (87.5%) and six patients (25%), respectively, and one patient discontinued nivolumab due to toxicity. Prior exposure to radiation therapy was associated with a worse response.

“This is the first study to examine sifulumab in this patient population, and it provides additional evidence to support the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors as standard therapy for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma,” said lead author Rodrigo R. Muñoz, MD, of the Sírio Hospital. . -Libanês, in Brazil.

An accompanying editorial noted that although the trial was small, its results were similar to those reported with pembrolizumab and temiplimab. “In addition to providing greater confidence in the clinical performance of various [immune checkpoint] inhibitors of this disease, these repeated data may allow for the increased use of these agents in the management of a common disease with global implications,” the authors write.