Although cemiplimab has been approved for locally advanced (la) and metastatic (m) cutaneous squamous-cell carcinomas (CSCCs), its real-life value has not yet been demonstrated. An early-access program enrolled patients with la/mCSCCs to receive cemiplimab. Endpoints were best overall response rate (BOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), duration of response (DOR) and safety. The 245 patients (mean age 77 years, 73% male, 49% prior systemic treatment, 24% immunocompromised, 27% Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) ≥ 2) had laCSCCs (35%) or mCSCCs (65%). For the 240 recipients of ≥1 infusion(s), the BOR was 50.4% (complete, 21%; partial, 29%). With median follow-up at 12.6 months, median PFS was 7.9 months, and median OS and DOR were not reached. One-year OS was 73% versus 36%, respectively, for patients with PS < 2 versus ≥ 2. Multivariate analysis retained PS ≥ 2 as being associated during the first 6 months with PFS and OS. Head-and-neck location was associated with longer PFS. Immune status had no impact. Severe treatment-related adverse events occurred in 9% of the patients, including one death from toxic epidermal necrolysis. Cemiplimab real-life safety and efficacy support its use for la/mCSCCs. Patients with PS ≥ 2 benefited less from cemiplimab, but it might represent an option for immunocompromised patients.

Hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory, recurrent, debilitating skin disease of the hair follicle, associated with considerable tissue remodelling. Although abnormal cytokine expression was detected both in perilesional and in uninvolved skin, up to now there is no model allowing a better understanding of the implicit inflammatory mechanisms in HS. The aim of this study was to investigate the inflammatory response in HS skin by mean of an ex vivo model culture. To that purpose, nine skin biopsy specimens from patients suffering from HS and controls were cultured up to 4 days. Microscopy imaging investigations showed variations of collagen I and III organization, and an increase in elastin fibres fragmentation in HS skin after 4 days of culture. The HS matrix structure remodelling was associated with high level of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 in HS lesional skin. After 4 days of culture, the MMP expression in HS perilesional skin reached the level observed in HS lesional skin. Concomitantly, an increase in IL‐1β concentration was observed in all skin samples after 4 days of culture, although IL‐1β concentrations remained significantly higher in HS lesional skin as compared with control skin. Meanwhile, neither IL‐17 concentrations nor the inflammasome components NLRP3 and caspase‐1 varied. Thus, our HS skin model culture showed that MMP‐induced matrix alteration could participate in HS inflammation by releasing biological active peptides and inflammatory factors from the extracellular matrix (ECM), and open new opportunities to investigate the regulation of the inflammatory mechanism associated with HS.

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