Long-term outcomes of reduced-dose bleomycin in electrochemotherapy for basal cell carcinoma in elderly patients

Grošelj, Aleš (author), Jamšek, Črt (author), Kranjc Brezar, Simona (author), Čemažar, Maja (author), Omerzel, Maša (author), Pušnik, Luka (author), Serša, Gregor (author)

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a minimally invasive treatment option for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which is particularly advantageous in the elderly population. This study evaluated the long-term effects of treating BCC in older patients using ECT with a reduced dose of bleomycin (10,000 IU/m$^2$) and compared the results to patients who received the standard dose of bleomycin (15,000 IU/m$^2$). The retrospective analysis included 116 patients aged over 65 years with 257 histologically confirmed BCCs. Tumors were treated with either the standard dose (n = 82) or the reduced dose (n = 175) of bleomycin. The results showed that the recurrence rate was comparable between the groups, particularly in the first year after treatment. The reduced-dose group exhibited a greater recurrence rate after the first year, which may be attributed to a weaker local immune response due to the de-escalated dose of bleomycin. Nonetheless, administering a standard bleomycin dosage as a salvage treatment in the event of recurrence proved highly effective. These findings suggest that ECT with a reduced bleomycin dose is a viable option for treating BCC in elderly patients, particularly those with shorter life expectancy.

• Language: English
• Keywords: bleomycin, de-escalation, head and neck, electrochemotherapy, nonmelanoma skin cancer
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine; ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 7 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss.1., art. 13688
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176329
• UDC: 616-006
• ISSN on article: 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-93104-3
• COBISS.SI-ID: 234048259
• Publication date in RUL: 11.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Scientific reports
• Shortened title: Sci. rep.
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• COBISS.SI-ID: 18727432

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: bleomicin, deeskalacija, glava in vrat, elektrokemoterapija, nemelanomski rak kože