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the results of the phase ii clinical trial, which were published in the journal clinical cancer research , showed the cream is a first-in-class inhibitor of histone deacetylase (hdac) — meaning it can arrest tumour development — that may present a safe alternative to the surgical intervention typically necessary for patients. while systemic hdac inhibiters have previously shown promise as a method of treatment, concerns over toxicity have impeded development. remetinostat, on the other hand, was engineered to lose potency once absorbed into the skin, confining its cancer-fighting abilities to the specific area treated by the cream.
“while further research is needed, our results suggest that remetinostat could be a safe and promising alternative to surgical treatment of bcc due to the high rate of complete responses we observed,” said kavita sarin, senior author of the study and an associate professor at stanford, according to the european pharmaceutical review . “however, if a therapy is to replace surgical treatment, it needs to not only induce a complete response, but also a durable one.”
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non-melanoma skin cancer accounts for around 28 per cent of all new cancer cases in the country, according to the public health agency of canada . around 75 to 80 per cent of these cases originate in the basal cells lining the top layer of the skin and are known as basal cell cancer (bcc). the remaining 20 to 25 per cent form in the squamous cells and are known as squamous cell cancer, or scc. because non-melanoma cancers are often successfully treated by dermatologists and do not require hospitalization, other statistics surrounding the disease are often estimates. it is thought that one in eight canadians will develop bcc in their lifetime and one in 20 will experience scc. both forms of the disease have a higher five-year survival rate than melanoma, a less common but deadlier form of skin cancer.
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dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
