The UNSCARRed Study: UNresctable Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With Avelumab and Radical Radiotherapy

The purpose of this study is to find out what effects the combination of radiation therapy and Avelumab have on you and your cancer. The effectiveness of this treatment as well as what side effects occur will both be studied. Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is the most commonly diagnosed cancer. Risk factors for the development of squamous cell cancer include ultraviolet (sun) exposure, as well as increasing age. In the majority of instances, a minor surgical procedure is curative. Less commonly, squamous cell carcinoma cannot be removed surgically, due to the location and/or extent of the cancer, or due to patient-specific factors which would make surgery unsafe (for instance, the presence of unrelated medical illnesses such as heart disease or stroke). When squamous cell carcinoma cannot be removed surgically, radiation therapy may serve as an effective alternative treatment. Squamous cell carcinomas are typically very sensitive to radiation, and in some instances radiation therapy may also cure a person of their cancer. While some people may be cured by radiation therapy, not all people are. This study is investigating the combination of radiation therapy and immune therapy. When given together, more patients may be cured of their cancer. Immune therapy is effective for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma. In clinical trials, more than half of patients benefit from immune therapy. Immune therapy is not chemotherapy. Instead, immune therapy involves the infusion of antibodies which target a person's own immune system. Immune therapy "re-activates" a person's own immune system against their cancer. The treatment offered within this clinical trial includes daily radiation treatments as well as immunotherapy treatments administered once every two weeks. The immunotherapy in use is a drug called Avelumab, which is an antibody that helps your body's immune system fight cancer. Health Canada, the regulatory body that oversees the use of natural health pro