5-year survival more likely in mBCC patients with nodal vs distant metastasis

Among patients with metastatic basal cell carcinoma (mBCC), those with nodal disease appear to have a higher chance of remission, while individuals with distant metastasis tend to have persistent disease and subsequently die from it, a recent study reveals. However, the survival rates at 5 years surpass 50 percent even for those with stage IV disease.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess patient and tumour characteristics, therapeutics, and outcomes of mBCC stratified by the location of metastasis. The researchers included 53 patients with mBCC treated at four large academic centres in Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Cleveland, Ohio, between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2021.

Of the participants, 22 (42 percent) had mBCC with spread limited to lymph nodes and 31 (58 percent) with distant organ spread (with or without lymph node involvement).

Eleven (50 percent) patients with nodal metastasis had complete disease remission as compared with only one (3 percent) patient with distant metastasis. At 5 years, the survival rate was significantly higher for nodal than for distant metastatic patients (89.3 percent vs 61.0 percent).

This study was limited by its small sample size due to the rarity of the disease.

“MBCC is rare, and there are limited data regarding patient and tumour risk factors, optimal treatments, and disease prognosis,” according to the researchers.