Peter Mac study to identify which skin cancer patients benefit from immunotherapy
12 February 2026
New research at Peter Mac will investigate which patients are most likely to respond immunotherapy for head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).
Funded by a Passe & Williams Foundation mid-career fellowship, clinician-researcher Associate Professor Annette Lim will "conduct comprehensive molecular profiling of immunotherapy-responsive and resistant CSCC to identify molecular features or biomarkers".
Immunotherapy for CSCC can reduce the extent of surgery and will potentially reduce the need for radiotherapy, explained Associate Professor Lim.
“Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas are one of the most common skin cancers, which occur most frequently on the head and neck due to UV sun exposure and increasing age,” she said.
“The use of radiotherapy to treat head and neck cancers can have debilitating side effects such as difficulty swallowing, so we want to try and reduce its use where possible.
“About fifty percent of patients respond to immunotherapy, but we currently have no way of identifying responders."
CSCC is the second most common type of skin cancer in Australia after basal cell carcinoma, representing approximately 30–33% of non-melanoma skin cancers1. Just under half of all CSCC occur on the head or neck2.
The Passe & Williams Foundation mid-career fellowship enables outstanding individuals to expand on their postdoctoral (or equivalent) experience and establish themselves as independent researchers.
Associate Professor Lim is the first medical oncologist to have received the Mid-Career Fellowship.
If you would like to further support cancer research please visit the Peter Mac Foundation.
2. Stang A, Khil L, Kajüter H, Pandeya N, Schmults CD, Ruiz ES, Karia PS, Green AC. Incidence and mortality for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: comparison across three continents. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2019 Dec;33 Suppl 8(Suppl 8):6-10. doi: 10.1111/jdv.15967. PMID: 31833607; PMCID: PMC6913879.