4.2.5 Emerging therapies

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (PD-1 inhibitors) and targeted EGFR inhibitors have shown promise in treating locally advanced and metastatic SCC (Australian Cancer Society 2019; Chen et al. 2019). This is best done through a multidisciplinary team.

The key principle for precision medicine is prompt and clinically oriented communication and coordination with an accredited laboratory and pathologist. Tissue analysis is integral for access to emerging therapies and, as such, tissue specimens should be treated carefully to enable additional histopathological or molecular diagnostic tests in certain scenarios.