Desmoplastic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is an Aggressive and Potentially Fatal Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review

Andrew Dettrick; Haris Mohammed; Thomas Hardman; Nicole Buddle; Ryan Livingston; Duncan Lambie; Rebecca Donkin

doi:10.1111/cup.70079

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Desmoplastic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is an Aggressive and Potentially Fatal Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Desmoplastic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is an Aggressive and Potentially Fatal Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review

Andrew Dettrick, Haris Mohammed, Thomas Hardman, Nicole Buddle, Ryan Livingston, Duncan Lambie and Rebecca Donkin

Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, Vol.Advanced access

15-Mar-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cup.70079

PMID: 41833367

Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs

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Abstract

carcinoma

histopathology

skin neoplasms

squamous cell

The incidence and mortality of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) are increasing. Desmoplastic cSCC (dcSCC) is an uncommon yet highly aggressive variant which has received relatively little attention in the literature. No systematic reviews of dcSCC are currently available. This paper aims to summarize the current understanding of the behavior of dcSCC by conducting a systematic review of published series with particular focus on outcomes. A comprehensive search was conducted for original series in English. Six studies reporting a total of 286 dcSCC were included in the final analysis. Most series were single site and retrospective. Pooled estimates demonstrated local recurrence rate 30% (95% CI: 24%–36%, p = 0.765), nodal metastasis 17% (95% CI: 12%–22%, p = 0.158), distant metastasis 5% (95% CI: 2%–9%, p = 0.574) and disease-specific death 12% (95% CI: 3%–36%, p = 0.047), outcomes which are considerably worse than non-dcSCC. The findings confirm the aggressive nature of dcSCC and suggest early aggressive treatment is warranted. However, given the limitations of existing studies, there is a need for large, prospective, multicentre studies to better define prognostic factors and optimize management strategies.

Details

Title: Desmoplastic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is an Aggressive and Potentially Fatal Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review
Authors: Andrew Dettrick (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Haris Mohammed - Griffith University
Thomas Hardman - Sunshine Coast University Hospital
Nicole Buddle - Sunshine Coast University Hospital
Ryan Livingston - Sunshine Coast University Hospital
Duncan Lambie - The University of Queensland
Rebecca Donkin - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
DOI: 10.1111/cup.70079
ISSN: 1600-0560
PMID: 41833367
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Cutaneous Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Grants: Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, RTP, Department of Education (Australia, Canberra)
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Biomedicine; School of Health; Cancer Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991216133002621
Output Type: Journal article

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