Combination therapy in the treatment of metastatic melanoma has been associated with more durable response rate compared to monotherapy. However, previous studies have shown that combined target therapy commonly causes a wide spectrum of adverse events. These adverse reactions are usually manageable, however, it is always necessary to compare drug efficacy with its potential adverse effects. Toxic epidermal necrolysis represents severe mucocutaneous reaction, usually triggered by medications and characterized by extensive necrosis and detachment of the epidermis. Here we present a first case of toxic epidermal necrolysis induced by combined target therapy (vemurafenib plus cobimetinib). The case was observed in a young patient with BRAF mutant melanoma who was started on first-line metastatic immunotherapy with pembrolisumab.
K E Y W O R D Scombined target therapy, metastatic melanoma, toxic epidermal necrolysis
We describe a case of twins with sporadic Gorlin syndrome. Both twins had common Gorlin syndrome features including calcification of the falx cerebri, multiple jaw keratocysts, and multiple basal cell carcinomas, but with different expressivity. One brother also had benign testicular mesothelioma. We propose this tumor type as a possible new feature of Gorlin syndrome. Gorlin syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by both developmental abnormalities and cancer predisposition, with variable expression of various developmental abnormalities and different types of tumors. The syndrome is primarily caused by mutations in the Patched 1 (
PTCH1
) gene, although rare mutations of Patched 2 (
PTCH2)
or Suppressor of Fused (
SUFU
) genes have also been found. Neither founder mutations nor hot spot locations have been described for
PTCH1
in Gorlin syndrome patients. Although
de novo
mutations of the
PTCH1
gene occur in almost 50% of Gorlin syndrome cases, there are a few recurrent mutations. Our twin patients were carriers of a
de novo
mutation in the
PTCH1
gene, c.3364_3365delAT (p.Met1122ValfsX22). This is, to our knowledge, the first Gorlin syndrome-causing mutation that has been reported four independent times in distant geographical locations. Therefore, we propose the location of the described mutation as a potential hot spot for mutations in
PTCH1
.
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