Treatment of Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin With Cetuximab

Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (SCCS) is rarely encountered by medical oncologists owing to success of local therapies. When advanced SCCS requires systemic palliation, treatment with conventional chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, is often precluded by a patient's age or medical comorbidities. Cetuximab is a human and mouse chimeric antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor, a tyrosine kinase receptor richly expressed by SCCS cells, including lymph node metastases. This drug, approved for treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract as well as colorectal cancer, is well tolerated. Toxic effects include acneiform rash and diarrhea. Preclinical data suggest that epidermal growth factor receptor is important in SCCS carcinogenesis.