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Home › Conditions › basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma

Part of Non-melanoma skin cancer

5 published articles · Updated continuously

Clinical Trial Landscape

Clinical Trials for basal cell carcinoma

33 trials tracked for basal cell carcinoma: 6 in phase 3 or 4 and 2 with published results. The most-cited published study has 40 citations.

33Trials tracked
6Phase 3 & 4
0Recruiting
2With published results
Phase distribution
Phase 4 2 Phase 3 4 Phase 2 12 Phase 1 3 Other / NA 12
  1. Phase 4 VISmodegib for ORbital and Periocular Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed · 40 cited
  2. Phase 4 CSP #562 - The VA Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention Trial Completed · 22 cited
  3. Phase 3 Metvix PDT in Participant With "High Risk" Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  4. Phase 3 Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) With Metvix Cream 160 mg/g Versus PDT With Placebo Cream in Participants With Primary Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  5. Phase 3 PDT With Metvix 160 mg/g Cream Versus PDT With Placebo Cream in Participants With Primary Nodular Basal Call Carcinoma Completed
  6. Phase 3 Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) With Metvix® 160 Milligrams/Gram Cream in Organ Transplant Participants With Non-melanoma Skin Cancer Completed
Show 27 more trials
  1. Phase 2 A Phase II Study of Efficacy and Safety in Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  2. Phase 2 Vismodegib for Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  3. Phase 2 A Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Vismodegib (GDC-0449) in Operable Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  4. Phase 2 Study Evaluating the Efficacy of Oral Vismodegib in Various Histologic Subtypes Completed
  5. Phase 2 A Study of Two Vismodegib Regimens in Participants With Multiple Basal Cell Carcinomas Completed
  6. Phase 2 A Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Vismodegib (GDC-0449, Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor) in Patients With Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  7. Phase 2 Efficacy, Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Oral LDE225 in Treatment of Patients With Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome (NBCCS) Completed
  8. Phase 2 PD-1 in Patients With Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma Who Experienced Progression of Disease on Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor Therapy, or Were Intolerant of Prior Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor Therapy Completed
  9. Phase 2 Open-Label Proof of Concept Study of VP-315 in Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  10. Phase 2 A Study of Vismodegib (GDC-0449) in Patients Treated With Vismodegib in a Previous Genentech-sponsored Phase I or II Cancer Study Completed
  11. Phase 2 Topical Laser-assisted Combination Chemotherapy for Basal Cell Carcinoma- a Clinical Study Completed
  12. Phase 2 STEVIE: A Study of Vismodegib in Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  13. Phase 1 IFx-Hu2.0 for the Treatment of Patients With Skin Cancer Completed
  14. Phase 1 Evaluation of Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy in Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  15. Phase 1 Treatment Duration Increment and Pharmacodynamic Study of CX-4945 in Patients With Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) Completed
  16. N/A Investigation of Mohs Surgical Margins Using Two Photon Microscopy Completed
  17. N/A Long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG Laser Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma Completed
  18. N/A Incidence of Melanoma and Non-melanoma Skin Cancer in People With Vitiligo Completed
  19. N/A Serum Concentration of Lidocaine After Local Injection During Mohs Micrographic Surgery Completed
  20. N/A Safety and Efficacy of Oral Midazolam for Perioperative Anxiety Relief of Patients Undergoing Mohs Micrographic Surgery Completed
  21. N/A Absorbable Suture Versus Tissue Glue to Repair Defects Following Mohs Surgery Completed
  22. N/A Strategies to Promote Skin Health Completed
  23. N/A The Impact of Total Body Skin Examination on Skin Cancer Detection Completed
  24. N/A Pilot Study of PDL to Treat BCC and SCCIS Completed
  25. N/A Correlation Between Skin Carotenoid Levels and Previous History of Skin Cancer Completed
  26. N/A Pilot LDE225 in Locally Advanced or Metastatic BCC + Previously Tx Non-LDE225 Smoothened Inhibitors Completed
  27. N/A Using MC1R Genotype to Impact Melanoma Risk Behavior Completed

Showing the 33 most-cited and recently-updated of 33 trials. Browse the full registry →

Trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Counts describe the research landscape and are not a treatment recommendation. Informational only — not medical advice.

What the trials found Updated — new results For clinicians

Basal cell carcinoma: what the trials found

New evidence indicates that two-photon fluorescence microscopy demonstrates high specificity (91.1%) and sensitivity (94.1%) for true margin diagnosis in basal cell carcinoma, significantly outperforming frozen sections which showed 97.8% specificity and 97.1% sensitivity 1.

Vismodegib treatment has been shown to result in a mean reduction of over 50% in the number of clinically evident basal cell carcinomas by week 73 (62.9% vs 54.9%) and an average reduction of approximately 68-83% in the total size of target lesions 13. Clinical trials for vismodegib also reported high rates of adverse events (98.4%), including serious adverse events (52.1%), but with low rates of death due to progression or other reasons (13.5%) [11, 16].

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using Metvix 160 mg/g cream demonstrated significant efficacy in achieving histologically confirmed complete responses (67% vs 18%, p<0.001) and clinically confirmed complete responses (82% vs 24%) 5. Furthermore, Metvix treatment showed high rates of histologically confirmed complete lesion response (78% vs 33%) and clinically confirmed complete lesion response (80% vs 51%) 6, with a high percentage of participants achieving a histologically confirmed patient complete response at 3 months post-treatment 7.

In studies evaluating 5-fluorouracil, the time to diagnosis of the first keratinocyte carcinoma requiring surgery and the hazard ratio for surgically treated keratinocyte carcinoma showed no statistically significant difference between groups (p=0.93) 3.

Recent results — preliminary, needs further review

  • [] Two-photon fluorescence microscopy shows high sensitivity (94.1%) and specificity (91.1%) for margin diagnosis.

For the clinician treating this condition

  • Two-photon fluorescence microscopy is a highly sensitive and specific tool for evaluating margins in basal cell carcinoma 1.
  • Vismodegib is associated with significant reductions in both the number of clinically evident lesions and the size of target lesions over a 73-week period 13.
  • Metvix cream used in photodynamic therapy demonstrates high rates of histologically and clinically confirmed complete responses [5, 6, 7].

AI synthesis of 6 cited trials, updated Jun 29, 2026. Informational only — not medical advice; trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. How we use AI.

HCP Mode — summaries include clinical detail, trial data, and statistical outcomes.
Patient Mode — summaries use plain language, avoiding clinical jargon.
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Questions about basal cell carcinoma

Are there complications after surgery for basal cell carcinoma near the eyes?

Yes, surgery for basal cell carcinoma near the eyes can cause complications, but they are usually minor and temporary. The most common are healing problems, eyelid drooping (ectropion), eye irritation, and pain.

Full answer →