Sonidegib as a locally advanced basal cell carcinoma therapy in real-life clinical setting: a national multicentre study

BACKGROUND

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most prevalent cancer. A minority of BCCs have an aggressive behaviour (laBCC) and may require hedgehog pathway inhibitors such as sonidegib as its treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the use of sonidegib in a large number of patients and provide more data on its real-life efficacy and safety profile.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective and multicentric study that included patients treated with sonidegib. Epidemiological, effectiveness and safety data were collected.

RESULTS

A total of 82 patients with a mean age of 73.9 years were included. Ten patients had Gorlin syndrome. Median treatment duration was 6 months. Median follow-up duration was 34.2 months. Globally, 81.7% of the patients showed clinical improvement (52.4% partial response and 29.3% complete response), 12.2% clinical stability and 6.1% disease progression. There was no statistically significant difference in clinical improvement between the 24h and 48h sonidegib posology. After 6 months of treatment, 48.8% of the patients discontinued sonidegib. Prior vismodegib treatment and recurrent primary BCC were associated with a poorer response to sonidegib. At 6 months of treatment, 68.3% of the patients experienced at least one adverse effect.

CONCLUSION

Sonidegib shows good effectiveness and acceptable safety profile in usual clinical practice.

EXPERIENCIAS Y PROCESO DE DUELO ENTRE PROFESIONALES DE ENFERMERÍA ONCOLÓGICA PEDIÁTRICA: EXPERIENCES AND GRIEVING PROCESS AMONG PEDIATRIC CANCER NURSES

Explore how nursing professionals handle the death of a pediatric patient with cancer under their care and identify needs that they face in the workplace. An exploratory qualitative design was used, under the phenomenological framework and the Model of Information, Motivation and Behavioral Skills (IMHB). The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with a sample of ten pediatric oncology nursing professionals. Each interview was transcribed and analyzed to identify thematic axes in the narrative of the participants. The findings revealed four categories that alluded to professional experiences in the face of the death of a patient and their handling of the grieving process. These were: Perception of nursing professionals about cancer; management of the pediatric patient in the terminal phase, coping strategies and areas of professional need. According to the findings, limitations were identified in knowledge about the subject of death and the grieving process of these health professionals. These limitations reflect being an obstacle in their clinical skills and in their capacity for assertive management. It is essential to educate these professionals about Thanatology and its benefits; as well as, to enable them access to psychological interventions for emotional management.