Vismodegib induces significant clinical response in locally advanced trichoblastic carcinoma.

Patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma due to local extension or metastatic disease were previously at a therapeutic impasse. Targeted inhibition of the sonic hedgehog pathway by vismodegib represents a new therapeutic strategy. Adnexal carcinomas are rare malignant skin tumours derived from epithelial annexes. Conventional treatment of adnexal tumours is based on surgical excision. Although the radiosensitivity of adnexal carcinomas has not been established, radiotherapy could be offered alone or in combination in locally advanced or inoperable disease. Chemotherapy represents a therapeutic option in the treatment of metastatic adnexal tumours. Currently there is no effective treatment for these tumours when they become metastatic or unresectable, and treatment is palliative. Sunitinib represents a new therapeutic strategy, with efficiency described in the literature for a small number of patients. However, its efficacy is partial, and its tolerance is not always good. We report a patient with trichoblastic carcinoma, initially diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma, treated effectively with vismodegib. The remarkable response we have observed in this patient suggests an encouraging therapeutic role of vismodegib in trichoblastic carcinoma that should be evaluated in a carefully designed trial.

Comparison of sun protection modalities in parents and children.

BACKGROUND: Routine sun protection is recommended to prevent skin cancer. The aims of the present analysis were to assess and compare modalities of sun protection in parents and their children. METHODS: EDIFICE Melanoma is a French nationwide observational survey. It was conducted through phone interviews among a representative sample of 1502 individuals aged ≥18 years, using the method of quotas. The survey took place shortly after the summer, from 28 September to 20 October 2011. RESULTS: Of the 1502 subjects interviewed, 1067 reported sun exposure (SE) at least 10 days per year, 748 were parents and 319 had no children. Sun protection measures seemed adequate in both the 'parents' and 'non-parents' groups: 74% used clothing and 43% used sunscreen, which was reapplied regularly in 57% of cases. Sun protection measures used by SE parents for SE children were superior, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to those used for themselves, i.e., 50% of parents reported using clothing, sunglasses and hats for their children vs. 23% for themselves. In 87% of cases, parents reported regular re-application of sunscreen for their children vs. 44% for themselves. The sunscreen SPF (Sun Protection Factor) was significantly lower for parents than for their children. CONCLUSIONS: Sun protection awareness appears to be globally satisfactory in the French population, with no difference between adults who are parents and those who are not. From both qualitative and quantitative standpoints, French parents use sun protective measures more efficiently for their children than for themselves.