Treatment of inoperable basosquamous carcinoma with hedgehog inhibitors, vismodegib and sonedigib: A case series

Basosquamous carcinoma is an aggressive subtype of basal cell carcinoma that shares histologic features with squamous cell carcinoma as well as the potential to become locally invasive or metastatic. The pathogenesis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is most commonly due to mutations in Patch (PTCH) tumor suppressor gene which is part of the hedgehog pathway. Patch inhibits Smoothen (SMO), a transmembrane protein that when unchecked results in the development of BCCs. The targeted inhibitors Vismodegib and Sonidegib act on SMO to treat inoperable BCC with response rates of 30 and 43% for locally invasive and metastatic disease, respectively.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Source Type: research