ACCC Develops Education Project to Assist Community Centers With Treatment of cSCC

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) has partnered with the AIM at Melanoma Foundation to develop resources through its Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) Care education project to help provide physicians with more information to guide them in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with this type of nonmelanoma skin cancer, according to a press release from ACCC.¹

Because the development of cSCC is such a rare event and physicians do not encounter advanced cSCC often, they regularly struggle to stay current with the latest information in diagnosis, treatment, and patient care in this space. ACCC has pulled together resources, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and real-world examples that can be used to improve practices for patients with cSCC.

The University of Missouri Health Care’s Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, The George Washington University Cancer Center, and Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute were selected as model practices for the Multidisciplinary Advanced cSCC Care publication. The criteria on which they were selected stipulated that the institutions had to be regionally diverse Cancer Program Members in areas in which prevalence of cSCC is high.

“We had a fantastic experience participating—it forced us to look at our program and our colleagues in a different way,” said Vishal Patel, MD, , assistant professor of dermatology and Director of Cutaneous Oncology, GW Cancer Center, George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, in a press release. “We learned new things about each other and aspects of our program that many of our team members did not know or understand. Participating in this effort helped us recalibrate our goals and think about how we can be a more well-rounded cancer center in order to provide the best care and experience for our patients.”

After basal cell carcinoma, cSCC is the second-most common skin cancer in the United States; cSCC represents about 20% to 50% of skin cancers, according to a study presented in theJournal of American Academy of Dermatology.³It can develop on various skin surfaces, including the head, neck, trunk, extremities, oral mucosa, periungual skin, and anogenital areas.

There are about 200,000 to 400,000 cases of cSCC diagnosed annually, making it a rare disease. Although the mortality rate for cSCC is low and most cases are successfully eradicated with surgery, a subset of patients will be at higher risk of recurrence, metastasis, and death if they present with advanced disease. Further, 2% to 5% of cSCCs metastasize to regional lymph nodes or more distant sites, compared with basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which together account for the vast majority of skin cancers in the United States.³

The goal of this project is to provide examples of effective practices in regard to the diagnosis, testing, and treatment of patients with cSCC. With the resources made available through ACCC, physicians will gain expert insights from experienced an advisory committee to support education and awareness of cSCC. The resources are useful for a multidisciplinary cancer care team and include case studies highlighting effective practices in meeting the needs of patients with cSCC and a live regional lecture series. The lecture series will expand local resources and generate discussions surrounding the latest treatment approaches and techniques.

References:

1. Association of Community Cancer Centers Project Focuses on Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Care. ACCC website. https://www.accc-cancer.org/home/news-media/press-releases/news-template/2019/12/02/association-of-community-cancer-centers-project-focuses-on-multidisciplinary-cutaneous-squamous-cell-carcinoma-care. Published December 2, 2019. Accessed December 16, 2019.
2. Karia PS, Han J, Schmults CD. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: estimated incidence of disease, nodal metastasis, and deaths from disease in the United States, 201J Am Acad Dermatol. 2013;68(6):957-966. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.20111.037.

• Aasi SZ, Hong A. Treatment and prognosis of low-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Available atwww.uptodate.com/contents/treatment-and-prognosis-of-low-risk-cutaneous-squamous-cell-carcinoma. Last updated Nov. 2018. Accessed Dec. 16, 2018.