New pill shrinks tough skin cancers in early trial

NCT ID NCT00833417

Completed Disease control Sponsor: Genentech, Inc. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This Phase II trial tested the drug vismodegib in 104 people with advanced basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that had spread or could not be surgically removed. Participants took a daily capsule until their cancer worsened or side effects became too severe. The study measured how many patients had their tumors shrink or disappear. Results showed that many patients responded, but the drug is not a cure and requires ongoing treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Vismodegib (GDC-0449) - a targeted cancer drug taken as a capsule
What this could lead to: If successful, this could provide a new treatment option for people with advanced basal cell carcinoma that cannot be removed by surgery.
What could go wrong: This is a Phase II trial with only 104 participants, so results may not hold in larger groups. The drug can cause side effects like muscle spasms, hair loss, and fatigue, and tumors may still grow or require lifelong treatment.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

basal cell carcinoma basal cell neoplasm skin basal cell carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

BASAL CELL CARCINOMA

Contacts and locations

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Locations

Advanced Derm & Cosmetic Surg

Ormond Beach, Florida, 32174, United States
Angeles Clinic & Rsch Inst

Los Angeles, California, 90025, United States
Arthur G. James Cancer Hosp

Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud; Dermatologie

Pierre-Bénite, 69495, France
Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
Dartmouth Hitchcock Med Center

Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756, United States
Hopital Claude Huriez

Lille, 59037, France
Hopital Hotel Dieu Et Hme; Clinique Dermatologique

Nantes, 44093, France
Hopital Saint Louis; Dermatologie 1

Paris, 75475, France
Institut Jules Bordet

Anderlecht, 1070, Belgium
Johns Hopkins Univ Med Center

Baltimore, Maryland, 21231, United States
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, Texas, 77030-4095, United States
Massachusetts General Hospital.

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
Mayo Clinic

Scottsdale, Arizona, 85259, United States
Mayo Clinic Rochester; Medical Oncology

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Dermatology

New York, New York, 10029, United States
Northwestern University

Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre

Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Poole Hospital; Dorset Cancer Centre

Poole, BH15 2JB, United Kingdom
Princess AleXandra Hospital; Department of Medical Oncology

Woolloongabba, Queensland, 4102, Australia
Royal Marsden Hospital - London

London, SW3 6JJ, United Kingdom
Sint Augustinus Wilrijk, Apotheek

Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
Siouxland Hematology/Oncology

Sioux City, Iowa, 51101, United States
St George Hospital

Kogarah, New South Wales, 2217, Australia
Stanford University Medical Center

Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States
The Sarah Cannon Research Inst

Nashville, Tennessee, 37203, United States
Univ No Carolina School of Med; Physicians Office Bldg

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-7305v, United States
Univ of Calif-San Francisco

San Francisco, California, 94115, United States
Univ of Colorado Hlth Sci Ctr

Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
Universitaets-Hautklinik Tuebingen

Tübingen, 72076, Germany
Universitatsklinikum Wurzburg; Derma

Würzburg, 97080, Germany
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
Universitätsklinik Essen; Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie

Essen, 45122, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Schleswig

Kiel, 24105, Germany
VA Southern Nevada Healthcare

Las Vegas, Nevada, 89103, United States

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