Measuring the success of treatments for squamous cell cancer of the skin.

Abstract

Linked Article: Reynolds et al. Br J Dermatol 2021; 184:1113-1122. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin is the second most common skin cancer. Over half a million cases are diagnosed in the USA and UK each year. There are several ways to treat SCC of the skin, including different types of medications and surgery. To better understand the best methods for treating SCC of the skin, researchers can conduct clinical trials, which are experiments that compare the success of different treatments in humans. In clinical trials, treatment success is measured by looking at 'outcomes', or seeing how patients did in different ways. Our purpose was to find out which outcomes are most important to measure in all clinical trials of SCC and therefore should be part of a 'core outcome set' used by all researchers who study SCC of the skin. We worked with an international group of 44 experts and patients, and found seven important core outcomes. Some of these outcomes were patient quality of life, the side-effects of treatment and if the cancer is completely or partially gone after treatment. As researchers start using this core outcome set for skin SCC, it will be easier to compare the results of clinical trials of SCC treatment because they will all be measuring at least these same seven outcomes. By comparing the results of these outcomes, we will better understand which treatments are most successful for SCC.