Advances in the Treatment of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers: The Role of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

This activity was originally presented at the 2022 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exposition.

Program Description

Systemic therapies for patients with advanced, unresectable, or metastatic basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma have only recently been incorporated in therapeutic plans. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) offers patients with non-melanoma skin cancers improved outcomes, but treatment-related adverse effects are frequent and can lead to therapy discontinuation. Safety and efficacy for recently approved and emerging ICIs and combination regimens for patients with basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers will be reviewed. In addition to emerging treatments, oncology pharmacists must be familiar with the frequency of immune-related adverse events associated with ICI therapy and appropriate management strategies that balance improving patient outcomes while minimizing therapy interruption. This activity will feature discussion of patient cases with opportunities for participants to gain experience with treatment selection based on disease- and patient-specific factors.
Target audience: Health-system pharmacists, Oncology Pharmacists

Type of activity: Application
Release date: December 22, 2022
Expiration date: December 22, 2023

Time to complete activity: 1.5 hours
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify behavioral and therapeutic strategies for the prevention of non-melanoma skin cancers
• Customize treatment selection for patients with advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma based on clinical data, guideline recommendations, and patient-specific factors
• Employ strategies to mitigate cutaneous immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy