British Journal of Dermatology Findings
Some interesting cases and findings reported recently in the latest edition of the British Journal of Dermatology .
Skin cancer
Systemic treatment for advanced Basal Cell carcinoma (BCC), the commonest cancer in the UK, is progressing. Ali and Lear review the current literature on the use of Vismodegib, a hedgehog pathway inhibitor, licensed recently in the USA for treatment of advance BCC. Phase 2 trials have demonstrated good results in the treatment of BCC although the side-effects are ‘frequent and considerable’.
Trials of this kind of treatment are underway at Barts’ and the London NHS trust.
Infantile haemangiomas (Strawberry naevi)
Propranolol, the beta blocker, continues to be first line treatment for infantile haemangiomas – see figure. C. Leaute-Labreze et al have shown the drug to be effective in the treatment of infants under 4 months of age with minimal side-effects.
Psoriasis
C. Griffiths reports a case of a patient being treated for multiple sclerosis with a drug called Alemtuzumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets CD52. Interestingly, within 5 days of receiving the treatment, her psoriasis cleared almost entirely and she remained clear at 7 months post treatment.
