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Morgan Groover, BS
Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
Job Title
Dermatology Research Fellow
Academic Rank
Department
Dermatology
Authors
Morgan Groover BS, Neha Gupta MPH, Emily Granger BS, Anna Chen, Emily S. Ruiz MD MPH
Principal Investigator
Emily S. Ruiz, MD MPH
Research Category: Cancer
Tags
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy, with an approximate incidence of 2 million US cases annually. Metastatic BCC (mBCC) is rare, with metastasis rate estimates ranging from 0.0028% to 0.55%. There is little consensus within the literature regarding patient and tumor risk factors for mBCC and disease prognosis. In this study, we address these questions while examining the differences between patients with nodal vs distant mBCC. To our knowledge, we created the largest real-world, multi-institutional registry of advanced BCCs in the country. Among the 53 patients with mBCC identified, 22 patients had mBCC limited to lymph nodes and 31 patients had distant metastasis, with or without lymph node involvement. In our retrospective analysis, we found similar patient and tumor risk factor profiles between patients with nodal and distant metastasis. Time from diagnosis of the primary tumor to metastasis was longer in patients with distant metastasis (mean 4.3 vs 2.6 years). Patients with metastasis limited to lymph nodes had better responses to treatment: half achieved complete remission of disease, compared with just one patient from the distant metastasis cohort. Patients with distant metastasis were also more likely to have persistent disease or die from disease.
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin is the most common cancer, affecting around 2 million Americans yearly. In very rare cases, BCC can metastasize, meaning it spreads from the original tumor site to another area in the body. Because BCC metastasis is so rare, experts have not confirmed the risk factors and prognosis of metastatic BCC. In this study we aim to address these questions, while comparing differences amongst patients with tumor spread limited to lymph nodes vs patients with tumor spread to distant sites. To our knowledge, we created the largest real-world, multi-institutional registry of advanced BCCs in the country. Within this cohort we identified 53 patients with BCC metastasis; 22 had spread limited to lymph nodes and 31 had distant tumor spread. We found that time from diagnosis of the primary tumor to metastasis was longer in patients with distant metastasis (average 4.3 vs 2.6 years). Patients with metastasis limited to lymph nodes had better responses to treatment: half achieved complete remission of disease, compared with just one patient from the distant metastasis cohort. Patients with distant metastasis were also more likely to have persistent disease or die from disease.
