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Diphencyprone and Immune Checkpoint Inhibition for the Treatment of Patients with Advanced Cancer with Cutaneous Metastases

Trial Status: active

This phase I trial tests the safety and side effects of diphencyprone (DPCP) ointment in treating patients with cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) in individuals taking immune checkpoint inhibitors. Cancers become very dangerous when they spread, or metastasize, to areas away from the original tumor location, including the skin (cutaneous metastases). When cancer has spread to other organs or the skin, treatment is more difficult and cure is usually not possible. Treatment involves shrinking the cancer. The body’s immune system protects from disease and infection. Unfortunately, this immune system often fails to get rid of tumors or other cancerous growths. Currently, a class of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), are one of the treatments of choice for metastatic cancer that strengthens the body’s immune system to help destroy cancer cells. Even when individuals with cancer take ICIs, they may still experience cutaneous metastases, causing skin lesions. Giving DPCP in combination with ICIs may be an effective and safe way to further boost the body's immune system activity in the skin when applied topically in order to reduce the size or help clear the metastatic skin lesions.