How LIBTAYO works
For patients who have previously tried a hedgehog inhibitor (HHI), or who cannot receive treatment with an HHI, LIBTAYO may help your immune system fight advanced BCC.
Your immune system defends your body against disease.
Certain white blood cells (T cells) are an important part of your immune system. Their job is to find and fight infections and kill cancer cells. T cells have a protein on the cell surface called PD-1, or programmed death receptor-1, which is involved in normal T-cell function.
Some cancer cells are able to trick the immune system to prevent the attack from T cells. When proteins on cancer cells bind to the PD-1 receptor on T cells, this binding makes the T cell inactive and stops it from killing the cancer cell.
LIBTAYO is a treatment that works by blocking PD-1 receptors to inhibit binding with the cancer cell protein. The T cell then remains active, so it can attack and kill the cancer cell.
LIBTAYO can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. These problems may happen anytime during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.
