A Life Changer for BCNS

According to research published in the June 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug vismodegib (Erivedge), which was approved in January by the FDA for people with aggressive, large basal cell carcinoma, has now been tested and found to be highly effective in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes literally hundreds of disfiguring skin cancers starting at a young age. In the study, investigators followed 41 patients with basal cell nevus syndrome and found that those taking vismodegib got an average of slightly more than two new cancers, while those not taking the drug developed 29. This could really be the greatest advance in therapy yet seen for this disease. This will no doubt be a lifechanger for these patients!