Gene-Related Response of Basal Cell Carcinoma to Biologic Treatment with Vismodegib

Therapeutic Approaches for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: Standard of Care and Emerging Modalities

Skin cancer encompasses a range of cutaneous malignancies, with non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) being the most common neoplasm worldwide. Skin exposure is the leading risk factor for initiating NMSC. Ultraviolet (UV) light induces various genomic aberrations in both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing genes in epidermal cells. In conjunction with interactions with a changed stromal microenvironment and local immune suppression, these aberrations contribute to the occurrence and expansion of cancerous lesions. Surgical excision is still the most common treatment for these lesions; however, locally advanced or metastatic disease significantly increases the chances of morbidity or death. In recent years, numerous pharmacological targets were found through extensive research on the pathogenic mechanisms of NMSCs, leading to the development of novel treatments including Hedgehog pathway inhibitors for advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Despite the efficacy of these new drugs, drug resistance and tolerability issues often arise with long-term treatment. Ongoing studies aim to identify alternative strategies with reduced adverse effects and increased tolerability. This review summarizes the current and emerging therapies used to treat NMSC.

Treatments on the horizon for locally advanced basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common human cancers. Most cases of BCC are amenable to surgical and topical treatments with excellent prognosis if diagnosed timely and managed appropriately. However, in a small percentage of cases, it could be locally advanced BBC (laBCC) and not amenable to surgery or radiation, including recurrent, large tumors or tumors that invade deeper tissue. Hedgehog inhibitors (vismodegib and sonidegib) are approved as the first-line treatment of laBCC. PD-1 inhibitor immunotherapy (cemiplimab) is indicated for cases that progressed on or could not tolerate hedgehog inhibitors or when hedgehog inhibitors are contraindicated. Given the modest response and bothersome side effects of some of the agents above, there are reports of novel treatments, and clinical trials are currently evaluating multiple agents.

Exploring vismodegib: A non-surgical breakthrough in the management of advanced periocular basal cell carcinoma

The management of periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is challenging due to its proximity to the eyeball. Vismodegib, a Hedgehog pathway inhibitor, has emerged as a therapeutic option for locally advanced and metastatic BCC. To critically appraise the relevant evidence, we conducted a systematic review of observational and experimental studies assessing the efficacy and safety of vismodegib for periocular BCC. Thirty-seven trials, including 435 patients, were eligible. No randomized trials were retrieved. Complete and overall clinical response rates were 20-88 % and 68-100 %, respectively. Disease progression was observed at a maximum rate of 14 %. Recurrence rates varied between 0 % and 31 %. The most common side effects were muscle cramps, dysgeusia, weight loss and alopecia. Treatment with vismodegib improved health-related quality of life. In conclusion, vismodegib represents an important novel treatment for advanced periocular BCC, with good response rates and acceptable tolerability profile. Nevertheless, its full potential needs clarification through randomized controlled trials.

Real-World Experience with Vismodegib on Advanced and Multiple BCCs: Data from the RELIVIS Study

BACKGROUND

Vismodegib is approved for advanced cases of basal cell carcinomas not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy. Large studies on the use of vismodegib in clinical practice are scarce.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the study was to analyse the evolution and therapeutic management of relapses and lack of response in patients who had received vismodegib for locally advanced and/or multiple basal cell carcinomas in a real-life multicentre setting.

METHODS

This nationwide retrospective study collected data on patients treated with vismodegib in 15 specialized centres. We included patients who first received vismodegib until intolerable toxicity, maximum response, or progressive disease. Exploratory research variables referred to patient and tumour characteristics, vismodegib effectiveness and safety, relapse rate and management, and mortality. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of complete clinical response.

RESULTS

133 patients with advanced BCC were included in the registry. The objective response rate (ORR) was 77.5% and nearly half of the patients (45.9%) achieved complete remission. Long-term information and detailed information of subsequent treatments after a regime of vismodegib was available for 115 patients. Only 34% of the patients in this group were subsequently treated with other therapies or vismodegib rechallenge. Sixty-nine percent of the patients who had shown a complete remission with vismodegib remained free of recurrence while 30.7% relapsed. Almost half of the patients who received additional therapies after the first course of vismodegib achieved complete tumour remission. Three and 2 out of 9 patients who were rechallenged with vismodegib achieved complete and partial responses, respectively, with an ORR of 55.5%.

CONCLUSION

Our study confirms efficacy of vismodegib in routine clinical practice. The risk of recurrence after achieving complete response with vismodegib was lower than previous reports. Rechallenge with vismodegib is feasible and most patients responded to re-treatment.

Analysis of residual disease in periocular basal cell carcinoma following hedgehog pathway inhibition: Follow up to the VISORB trial

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a common skin cancer caused by deregulated hedgehog signaling. BCC is often curable surgically; however, for orbital and periocular BCCs (opBCC), surgical excision may put visual function at risk. Our recent clinical trial highlighted the utility of vismodegib for preserving visual organs in opBCC patients: 67% of patients displayed a complete response histologically. However, further analysis of excision samples uncovered keratin positive, hedgehog active (Gli1 positive), proliferative micro-tumors. Sequencing of pre-treatment tumors revealed resistance conferring mutations present at low frequency. In addition, one patient with a low-frequency SMO W535L mutation recurred two years post study despite no clinical evidence of residual disease. Sequencing of this recurrent tumor revealed an enrichment for the SMO W535L mutation, revealing that vismodegib treatment enriched for resistant cells undetectable by traditional histology. In the age of targeted therapies, linking molecular genetic analysis to prospective clinical trials may be necessary to provide mechanistic understanding of clinical outcomes. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02436408.

Swiss Recommendations for Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common nonmelanoma skin cancer in Switzerland and worldwide. Most BCCs can be treated in a curative setting. However, patients can develop locally destructive and, rarely, metastatic tumors that require a different treatment approach. The clinical subtype of individual lesions provides prognostic information and influences management decisions. Surgical excision, topical therapies, and radiotherapy are highly effective in the majority of subtypes as well as in low- and high-risk diseases. For patients with low-risk diseases and superficial tumors not amenable to surgery, several nonsurgical alternatives are available. Systemic therapy is indicated for high-risk BCCs, which are not amenable to either surgery or radiotherapy. Hedgehog pathway inhibitors (HHI) are currently approved. Other therapeutic options such as immune checkpoint inhibitors show promising results in clinical trials. This first version of Swiss recommendations for diagnosis and management of BCC was prepared through extensive literature review and an advisory board consensus of expert dermatologists and oncologists in Switzerland. The present guidelines recommend therapies based on a multidisciplinary team approach and rate of recurrence for individual lesions. Based on the risk of recurrence, two distinct groups have been identified: low-risk (easy-to-treat) and high-risk (difficult-to-treat) tumors. Based on these classifications, evidence-based recommendations of available therapies are presented herein.

Advanced basal cell carcinoma: What dermatologists need to know about treatment

The treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) often requires therapies beyond local surgical excision or radiation due to the invasiveness of the tumor. Historically, cytotoxic chemotherapy was used to treat advanced BCC, but with limited data, no standard regimens were established. The discovery of cyclopamine, a natural inhibitor in the Hedgehog pathway, led to the development of the 2 currently approved Hedgehog inhibitors, vismodegib and sonidegib. Both agents are indicated for locally advanced BCC, while vismodegib is also indicated for metastatic BCC. In patients who progress on hedgehog inhibitors or cannot tolerate hedgehog inhibitors, the programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor cemiplimab can be used to treat locally advanced or metastatic disease. Complex cases of locally advanced or metastatic BCC may be best discussed through a multidisciplinary approach in order to determine the optimal treatment approach for the individual patient.

Vismodegib anticancer drug: Analyzing electronic and structural features and examining biological activities

Vismodegib (Vis) is an anticancer drug, in which its electronic and structural features were examined in this work. To this aim, the chlorine atoms of original Vis model were substituted by other fluorine, bromine, and iodine halogen atoms yielding F-Vis, Br-Vis, and I-Vis in addition to the original Cl-Vis model. The models were optimized by performing quantum chemical calculations and their interactions with the smoothened (SMO) target were examined by performing molecular docking simulations. The results indicated that the stabilized structures of halogenated Vis models were achievable and their features indicated the dominant role of halogen atoms for their participation in interactions with other substances. Based on the obtained results, Br-Vis model was seen suitable for participating in interaction with the SMO target even better than the original Vis model. The hypothesis of this work was affirmed by employing the in silico approach for analyzing the features of singular ligands and for evaluating their biological functions.

Efficacy and tolerability of vismodegib treatment in locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma: Retrospective real-life data

The study aims to evaluate the vismodegib treatment in local advanced (laBCC) and metastatic (mBCC) basal cell carcinoma. The data of 29 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical and histopathological features of the patients and adverse events of vismodegib were recorded. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis. The median follow-up period was 17 months (range: 1.6-57.3), and the median age at diagnosis 73 years (range: 39-88). The most common disease location was head and neck (86.2%), and the most common non-skin sites of disease were lymph nodes (13.8%), bone (13.8%), lung (6.9%), and brain (6.9%). Three (10.3%) patients had Gorlin's syndrome. The number of metastatic patients was 5 (17.2%). With vismodegib treatment, the complete response rate was 27.6%, partial response 55.2%, and stable response 10.3%. Treatment responses were most frequently seen within 2 months from the beginning of vismodegib. The median OS was 43.3 ± 9.0 months (25.6-61.1) for all patients. The median PFS in the laBCC was 15.7 ± 1.8 months (12.2-19.3), and 12.1 ± 4.6 months (2.9-21.2) in the mBCC. In the univariable analysis for the OS, only the treatment after the vismodegib was statistically significant, showing chemotherapy was better comparing to no treatment or surgery. The most common adverse events were fatigue-58.6%, muscle spasms-48.3%, alopecia-13.8%, and weight loss-13.8%. This real-life data study shows that vismodegib treatment in locally advanced and metastatic BCC was well tolerated and effective.

Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitors: Clinical Implications and Resistance in the Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common non-melanoma skin cancer and is on the rise. Most BCCs are benign; however, a very small percentage are locally advanced and metastatic. The pathway that normally regulates cell growth and proliferation is directed by the hedgehog pathway (HP). In BCC, it becomes over-stimulated due to genetic abnormalities. Treatments for BCC include local treatment by cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen), topical immunosuppression, surgery, or radiotherapy. Systemic treatment may be required in locally advanced lesions, metastatic BCC, or individuals who are inoperable.

The systemic treatments of BCC act to inhibit the HP and are called hedgehog pathway inhibitors. The first one being vismodegib and the second sonidegib.

Although these treatments have shown promising results, they have prominent side effects in almost all patients, with few patients having to discontinue the treatment. About 50% of patients did not respond to treatment from the beginning, some had partial responses, others had recurrence after discontinuing the drugs, and few had worsening of the disease. In this paper, we will explore the most common side effects, resistance, and different methods to overcome resistance to ensure the highest rate of cure for BCC.

A Vismodegib Experience in Elderly Patients with Basal Cell Carcinoma: Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of human tumor, and its incidence rate is increasing worldwide. Up until a few years ago, therapeutic options have been limited for patients with advanced BCC (including metastatic and locally-advanced BCC). Over the last few years, promising systemic therapies have been investigated for the treatment of advanced BCC. In particular, the Hedgehog signaling inhibition has shown remarkable results for this population. Hedgehog inhibitors, represented by vismodegib and sonidegib, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of both locally advanced and metastatic BCC, with, generally, a good safety profile. Notwithstanding the late onset of BCC in the global population, associated with life expectancy increase, only a few clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy and safety profile of Hedgehog inhibitors in this complex and neglected population. Herein, we review the major mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of BCC focusing on the Hedgehog signaling pathway and its therapeutic role in the elderly population. Finally, we report two case reports of BCC elderly patients in order to demonstrate both efficacy and safety of the Hedgehog inhibitors.

Outcomes of Vismodegib for Periocular Locally Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma From an Open-label Trial

Importance

The outcomes of vismodegib treatment in a relatively large cohort of study participants with periocular locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (POLA-BCC) may guide physicians when considering this treatment.

Objective

To report the outcomes of vismodegib treatment in patients with POLA-BCC in the Safety Events in Vismodegib (STEVIE) study.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This post hoc subgroup analysis from the STEVIE single-arm, multicenter, open-label cohort study screened all 1215 participants for ocular or periocular involvement and identified 244 participants with POLA-BCC or metastatic BCC. Data for the first STEVIE trial were collected from 167 treatment locations in 36 countries from June 30, 2011, to June 14, 2017. This post hoc analysis was performed from April 1 to August 31, 2019.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Response to treatment and adverse events.

Results

Ocular or periocular involvement was found in 244 of 1215 STEVIE participants (20.1%), who constituted the analytic sample. The median age of the study participants was 72.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 60.0-82.0]) years, and they included 143 men (58.6%). Locally advanced BCC was diagnosed in 238 of the 244 participants (97.5%) and metastatic BCC, in 6 (2.5%). The median duration of exposure to vismodegib was 40.0 (IQR, 20.0-78.0) weeks, specifically 39.7 (IQR, 19.9-76.0) weeks for POLA-BCC and 92.4 (IQR, 53.2-163.0) weeks for metastatic BCC. Sixty-nine participants (28.3%) sustained serious adverse events (alopecia, muscle spasms, dysgeusia, weight loss, decreased appetite, asthenia, ageusia, nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea). Two hundred thirty-two study participants (95.1%) sustained more than 1 adverse effect. The overall mean (SD) number of drug-related adverse effects per study participant by first adverse event, regardless of the severity, was 5.48 (3.84). Discontinuation of vismodegib treatment owing to an adverse event was recorded in 58 participants (23.8%). During the study, 22 participants (9.0%) died, 70 (28.7%) achieved complete response, and 94 (38.5%) achieved partial response.

Conclusions and Relevance

Vismodegib was well tolerated by the study participants with POLA-BCC. The safety of vismodegib treatment according to the STEVIE trial findings is consistent with that reported in previous studies. These data may be helpful when considering vismodegib for patients with POLA-BCC.