ELECTROCHEMOTHERAPY AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR BASAL CELL CARCINOMA

Abstract

Introduction: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a skin carcinoma derived from epidermal cells, is the most common malignant tumor in humans. Excisional surgery and Mohs stage resection are the most effective treatments for low- and high-risk basal cell carcinomas. During the last decades, electrochemotherapy (ECT) has become an appreciated locoregional therapy in the field of dermato-oncology. Objectives: to evaluate the effectiveness of ECT in the treatment of basal cell carcinomas. Materials and methods: This is an integrative review, in which the guiding question was “Is electrochemotherapy an effective and safe option in the treatment of patients with basal cell carcinoma?” The search for articles took place in PubMed using the terms “basal cell carcinoma”, “cisplatin”, “electrochemotherapy” and “bleomycin”. Results and discussion: Electrochemotherapy is a treatment option that can be offered when surgery or radiotherapy are not viable or contraindicated. Electrochemotherapy provides its antitumor effect through the permeabilization of cancer cells to chemotherapy agents through short and high voltage electrical pulses that destabilize the cell membrane barrier, allowing their intracellular access. The main advantages of electrochemotherapy are high local tumor control with minimal damage to normal tissue, limited side effects and good cost/benefit ratio. Conclusion: When excision is not feasible, ECT is a safe and reasonably effective alternative, with a greater chance of success in untreated individuals, whose tumors are completely covered with electrical pulses.