SCC Staging Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparison of the prognostic capacity of existing staging systems for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma
IRAS ID
291683
Contact name
Catherine Anne Harwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer, and one of the most common cancers worldwide. The majority of CSCCs are easily removed by surgery and have excellent prognosis. However, a small subset has poor outcomes, including secondary spread in the body (metastasis) and death. Rates of CSCC are higher and outcomes are worse for people who have a reduced immune system (immunocompromised), such as organ transplant recipients and people with haematologic malignancies. It is unclear whether the increased rates of metastasis in immunocompromised people are simply the result of higher numbers of CSCC or whether the CSCC are more aggressive. Staging systems are used to classify how advanced a skin cancer is, which helps doctors make management decisions about follow-up and need for further imaging or treatment. We do not know how good staging systems are in predicting outcomes in immunocompromised people with CSCC.
We will look at existing CSCC in immunocompromised and immunocompetent people (with a normal immune system) from two UK dermatology centres, biopsied in 2014-2019. The minimum 4-year follow-up available for each person ensures that over 90% of all poor outcomes are captured. We will then evaluate the accuracy of current staging systems in predicting risk of poor outcomes in these people. In the second stage of our study, we will see whether better prediction tools can be found. This study will be achieved by reviewing patient notes and past histopathology reports and samples. In some cases, when patient notes are incomplete, members from the clinical care team from the relevant centre will re-contact the patients or their GPs to find out what happened after their cancers were removed and whether they required further treatment.
We hope that this project will improve the management of patients with CSCC by validating the positive and negative predictive power of currently available histological staging classifications for cSCC.REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
22/WA/0257
Date of REC Opinion
23 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion