Dr. Kudchadkar on Future Research Directions for Rare, Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers

Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, chair of the Clinical and Translational Review Committee at Winship Cancer Institute, as well as an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, discusses future research directions for patients with rare, non-melanoma skin cancers. 

There is a great interest in studying rare skin cancers, such as advanced basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, as these cancers can cause significant mortality for patients, Kudchadkar explains. Understanding which patients respond to treatment and who will experience durable responses is an area of focus for future research efforts, Kudchadkar adds.

Investigators also seek to determine whether PD-1 inhibitors will become a frontline treatment option for those with basal cell carcinoma, as well as whether hedgehog inhibitors will provide durable responses in this patient population, Kudchadkar concludes.