ABSTRACT
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most frequent cutaneous carcinoma. Its incidence is constantly increasing, primarily due to sun exposure during the two first decades of life. The lower lid and medial canthus are the most common locations. In the majority of cases, surgery with sufficient margins is the first-line treatment. In the case of inoperable tumors (extensive lesions, poor general health, high surgical morbidity, unacceptable cosmetic sequelae), oral chemotherapy can be suggested. We report the follow-up of 4 patients with advanced non-metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) treated with oral chemotherapy (sonigegib). All patients were female with a mean age of 80years. The first patient had an infiltrative BCC of the right lower lid with orbital invasion, the second a nodular BCC of the right inferior lid with massive cutaneous and orbital invasion extending to the controlateral medial canthal angle, the third an advanced infiltrative BCC invading both orbits and nasal cavities, and the fourth, an infiltrative BCC with extension to the ipsilateral skin of the face. The diagnosis of BCC was confirmed by multiple biopsies in our four patients prior to starting chemotherapy. Because of the locally advanced lesions, surgery was contraindicated in all cases, chemotherapy was undertaken (sonidegib 200mg daily), and ophthalmological and dermatological examinations were performed every 3months. In all 4 patients, the outcome was very favorable, with one clear regression in tumor size and infiltration and 3 partial regressions. Many side effects were noted, including nausea, muscle cramping, dysgeusia resulting in significant weight loss, and malnutrition in the elderly patients. The treatment had to be discontinued after 11months in the patient with total macroscopic regression because of major side effects. The treatment is still underway for the other patients and will be continued as long as a clinical benefit is observed. The treatment will be discontinued if intolerable side effects develop. Oral chemotherapy (sonidegib) is an effective alternative treatment when surgery cannot be realized, especially in the case of extensive infiltrative non-metastatic BCC.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Basal Cell , Skin Neoplasms , Administration, Oral , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Carcinoma, Basal Cell/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Skin Neoplasms/drug therapyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To compare performance on the EyeSi surgical simulator in 3 training modules by users with different levels of experience in ophthalmology. METHODS: We included 18 surgeons (6 residents with no cataract experience, 6 residents with little experience (1 to 10 cases) and 6 experienced cataract surgeons (over 500 cases). Three modules were selected (capsulorhexis, phacoemulsification-cracking and irrigation and aspiration). All subjects completed 12 levels of increasing difficulty twice, and the results of the second trial were analyzed according to the surgeon's experience. RESULTS: For the capsulorhexis module, experienced surgeons achieved higher total scores than the other 2 groups in exercise 1 (P=0.0102). For the phaco-cracking module, experienced surgeons achieved higher total scores in exercise 8 (P=0.0495) and a tendency toward significance in exercises 3 (P=0.0934) and 5 (P=0.0938). Participants with greater experience had lower total task time in exercises 1 (P=0.0444), 4 (P=0.06) and 5 (P=0.0189). CONCLUSION: Experienced surgeons outperformed residents with regard to overall score in 4 exercises of the capsulorhexis and phaco-cracking modules. Our results confirm previously demonstrated construct validity for these modules on the EyeSi simulator. These findings will help in the development of relevant training programs that could potentially be applied to the standard ophthalmological curriculum.
