Basal Cell Carcinoma Clinical Trials

Oncologists conduct basal cell carcinoma clinical trials to determine the benefits of promising new treatments. These studies also allow patients to access some of the newest, most innovative therapies for basal cell carcinoma, long before those treatments are made available in other settings.

Moffitt Cancer Center’s Cutaneous Oncology Program has one of the most robust clinical trials programs in the region. As a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we have tested novel skin cancer treatments such as:

• Intralesional therapy, a treatment in which anti-cancer medications are injected directly into the tumor site. In past studies, this treatment produced notable tumor shrinkage in more than half of the participants.
• Adoptive cell therapy, a treatment in which tumor-specific T-cells are administered to a patient, with the intent of triggering the body’s natural immune response. Moffitt is one of just three cancer centers in the entire nation to have clinical protocol for using T-cell therapy to treat skin cancer.
• Immunotherapy, another treatment that is designed to program the body’s immune system to attack the tumor. This therapy has been the subject of many promising clinical trials for other cancers, and its effectiveness for skin cancer is currently being investigated.

These trials may be especially beneficial for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma that has metastasized to other parts of the body. Even for non-metastatic carcinomas, which are highly responsive to conventional therapies, clinical trials can help researchers determine the best order in which to prescribe certain treatments (for example, surgery before radiation therapy or vice versa.) 

Patients can participate in Moffitt Cancer Center’s basal cell carcinoma clinical trials without requesting a referral from their primary physicians. To learn which of our trials are most appropriate for your needs and whether you may qualify, call 1-813-745-6100 or 1-800-679-0775 (toll-free) or submit a clinical trials inquiry form.