Capecitabine Reduces Incident Keratinocyte Carcinomas in Field Cancerization

WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with cutaneous field cancerization, defined as multifocal clinical atypia characterized by actinic keratoses or squamous cell carcinomas in situ, with or without invasive disease, occurring in broad areas of skin exposed to chronic ultraviolet radiation, capecitabine reduces incident keratinocyte carcinomas (KCs), according to a study published online June 27 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.Haley Neff, from Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined the efficacy, toxicity, and patient satisfaction of long-term, low-dose capecitabine for field cancerization in a retrospective cohort and survey study. Twenty patients treated with capecitabine for cutaneous field cancerization over 20.8 months, including 8.0 months of intervening treatment holidays, were included in the study.The researchers found that in all years of treatment, there was a decrease in mean KC surgeries compared to the year before treatment (reductions of 24 percent [P = 0.29], 73 percent [P = 0.02], and 27 percent [P > 0.99], respectively, at one, two, and three years). Due to toxicity, two patients discontinued treatment. Among 12 of 17 patients who responded to the survey, 75.0 percent felt that their skin lesions were improved at least moderately by capecitabine and 83.3 percent preferred capecitabine to alternative treatments."Capecitabine is effective for field cancerization with manageable toxicity even with extended treatment intervals," the authors write.Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and health technology industries.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Capecitabine Reduces Incident Keratinocyte Carcinomas in Field Cancerization

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