Background: The systemic treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) has seen significant developments in recent years. The anti-PD1 inhibitor cemiplimab has demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials, but real-world data are still limited. Here, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of cemiplimab in a real-world clinical setting.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out for all patients who received at least two doses of cemiplimab at our department between February 2020 and January 2023. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), the objective response rate (ORR), the disease control rate (DCR) and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated.
Results: Twenty-five patients were included with a median age of 78 (65-82) years. The median treatment duration was 48 (16-72) weeks. Five (20%) patients were immunocompromised. Sixteen patients (64%) developed AEs, including 36% serious AEs (SAEs) of grade ≥ 3. Six patients (24%) were withdrawn from treatment due to the occurrence of AEs. Among the 25 patients, 52% showed an objective response (3 complete and 10 partial responses), 76% had controlled disease and 24% experienced progression. Among the five immunocompromised patients, the ORR was 60%, while the DCR was 80%.
Conclusions: This retrospective real-world study revealed that locally advanced or metastatic cSCC could be effectively treated with cemiplimab even in elderly, polymorbid and immunocompromised patients.
Keywords: PD-1 inhibitor; adverse event; cemiplimab; cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma; immune checkpoint inhibitor; immunocompromised patients; immunotherapy.