Friday Pop Quiz #198

The correct answer is B. Sonidegib.

Vismodegib and Sonedegib are FDA-approved treatments for locally advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma. These medications are administered orally and inhibit signaling via smoothed receptors which are abnormally activated in all basal cell carcinomas secondary to mutations in the hedgehog signaling pathway. When vismodegib and sonidegib bind to smoothened receptors, smoothened remains coupled to PTCH, keeping GLI (responsible for cellular proliferation) inactive. A response rate of 30-60% has been demonstrated in clinical trials.

Ipilimumab is a CTLA-4 inhibitor approved for the treatment of melanoma. Erlotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor (RGFR) tyrosine kinase-approved inhibitor used to treat nonsmall cell lung carcinoma. Interferon alpha has been used off-label in the treatment of many skin cancers. Finally, 5-fluorouracil is a nucleoside analog chemotherapeutic agent used to treat actinic keratoses and superficial basal cell carcinoma.

References

Bolognia, J., In Schaffer, J. V., & In Cerroni, L. Dermatology. Elsevier,2018. Ch.107,108