Giant basal cell carcinoma of the vulva successfully treated with Sonidegib

Sonidegib in Locally Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Monocentric Retrospective Experience and a Review of Published Real-Life Data

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) represents the most common skin cancer and locally advanced BCC (laBCC) refers to an aggressive, large, infiltrative BCC that cannot be treated by surgery or radiotherapy. Sonidegib is a Hedghehog inhibitor (HHi) indicated for laBCC. This is a monocentric retrospective real-life study of laBCCs receiving Sonidegib treatment. Although Sonidegib is widely used, since its approval by Food and Drug Administration in 2015, only a limited number of real-life experiences have been reported. Eleven patients, including four patients diagnosed with Basal Cell Naevus syndrome, received treatment with Sonidegib for laBCCs. Seven (63.6%) patients experienced adverse events (AEs) but only three had to discontinue treatment and were therefore excluded from the following results. Four patients (50%) achieved complete clinical remission (CR); in all cases the remission was confirmed by biopsy. Partial response (PR) was found in three patients out of eight (37.5%). One patient out of eight (12.5%) showed a steady disease (SD). None of the patients showed signs of progression during treatment with HHi. Sonidegib showed the same efficacy in treating laBCCs as already seen in trials. All four patients suffering from Basal Cell Naevus syndrome achieved disease control by being treated with Sonidegib. Consequently, we strongly advise the joint management of laBCCs through a multidisciplinary team whenever feasible.

Cutaneous Reactions Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Review of the Current Literature

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a new worldwide challenge, strongly impacting on the global economy, overall health and lifestyle. Since then, several strategies have been adopted to contain the widespread of infection. Among these, vaccination is currently the most important measure to fight against the pandemic. However, several concerns such as slower-than-hoped-for rollout, the hurried approval with limited data, the mechanism of action (in particular mRNA-based), and the uncertain duration of protection they afforded were initially raised. Moreover, even if cutaneous reactions have been rarely reported in clinical trials, global mass vaccination showed several dermatologic reactions not initially recognized, leaving dermatologists to decide how to diagnose and treat them. In this scenario, dermatologists should be ready to promptly recognize these clinical manifestations. Thus, the aim of this manuscript is to review current literature on cutaneous reactions following COVID-19 vaccination, particularly inflammatory dermatological diseases, in order to help clinicians to better understand these dermatological conditions and to provide an extensive overview of all the vaccine-related skin manifestations.