Explore the lesser-known skin manifestations of CREST syndrome, beyond the hallmark telangiectasias, and uncover the comprehensive dermatological impact of this multifaceted condition.
– by The Don
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Hedgehog Inhibitors Beyond Clinical Complete Response in Basal Cell Carcinoma: Should I Stop or Should I Go?
Alfieri et al., Oncologist 2023
DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyad319
Listen up, folks, we’ve got something big here!
So, we’ve been looking at this huge problem with advanced basal cell carcinoma, that’s BCC for short. It’s a skin cancer, very nasty stuff. And there’s this big question, okay? Do we keep going with the treatment after the patient looks all clear? We’re talking about Hedgehog inhibitors, HHIs, very powerful.
We did this incredible study, really something, across seven Italian centers. We looked at patients who kept taking this drug, vismodegib, after they were looking good, after what we call a clinical complete response, a cCR. We wanted to see if taking the drug longer made a difference.
Here’s what we found: Most people stopped the drug, 90% of them, because of side effects or the cancer came back. But, and this is key, the ones who kept taking it for a while after they looked clear, they did better. Their disease-free survival, that’s DFS, was longer. We’re talking real numbers, significant stuff.
And let me tell you, the patients who stuck with the treatment for more than two months after looking clear, they had a much better time without the disease coming back. We’re talking 470 days versus 175 days. That’s a lot of days, folks.
So, what’s the bottom line? Our study, which was very thorough, suggests that you should keep going with the HHIs after you get that cCR. It’s going to give you a better shot at staying cancer-free. It’s gonna be great.
Remember, we’re making skin cancer treatment great again, one study at a time!