Treating advanced BCC
Who treats advanced BCC?
The following specialized doctors may be involved in your care and can help determine the right treatment options for you.
Dermatologists: Doctors who evaluate and treat disorder of the skin.
Mohs surgeons: Doctors who use a specific surgical technique to treat skin cancer. They remove thin layers of cancerous skin until no cancer cells remain.
Medical oncologists: Doctors who diagnose and treat cancers.
Radiation oncologists: Doctors who specialize in radiation therapy, a treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
It is important that your doctor considers working with a team of multidisciplinary healthcare providers to develop a treatment plan specific to you.
How is advanced BCC treated?
While most BCC cases can be cured with surgery or radiation when found and treated early, in advanced stages, these can become more difficult to treat successfully.
Surgery
During surgery, the intent is to remove the cancerous tumor and affected surrounding tissue. Some people with advanced BCC may have multiple surgeries as part of their treatment to remove tumors on the head, neck, and other parts of the body. Surgery for BCC is typically performed by a Mohs surgeon or another trained surgical specialist.
Radiation
Advanced BCC may also be treated with radiation therapy, which is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy, most often X-rays, to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy is given by a radiation oncologist.Systemic therapies are drugs that move through the body to treat cancer cells wherever they may be.
Hedgehog Inhibitor (HHI)
An HHI is a type of targeted therapy used to treat advanced BCC that has come back following surgery or radiation or that cannot be treated with surgery or radiation. HHIs work to stop cancer cells from growing and multiplying, and help cause tumors to shrink.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy may help your immune system fight cancer. Your body might not attack cancer because the cancer cells have developed ways to avoid the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the immune system recognize, attack, and kill the cancer cells. This treatment is given by an oncologist.Immunotherapy can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in your body, which may cause serious side effects.
Some advanced BCC tumors may need more treatment after HHIs. Ask your doctor if immunotherapy may be appropriate for you.