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Background: The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) at diagnosis have been shown to correlate with advanced disease and to be prognostic factors in many tumors. However, their role as a prognostic factor for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) has not yet been studied., Objective: Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the correlation of NLR and RDW with stages of disease in patients with cSCC in order to define whether or not higher values of these two markers correlate with a more aggressive disease., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the NLR and RDW in a total of 51 newly diagnosed cSCC patients. NLR and RDW were calculated using data obtained from the complete blood count (CBC)., Results: Median NLR among patients with the non-advanced disease (in situ and stage I) was 2.2, whereas median NLR for patients with advanced disease was 4.87. Median RDW among patients with early stage disease was 13.7%, while median RDW in patients with advanced disease was 15.81%. Statistical analysis showed positive associations of advanced cSCC stages with NLR or RDW higher than 3.07 or 14.5%, respectively., Conclusions: Therefore, our analysis demonstrated how both NLR and RDW represent cheap and easily available factors that could be used as markers for advanced cSCC. They could help to identify patients with advanced stages disease that requires a strict follow-up., (© 2021 the International Society of Dermatology.)

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer in humans. Pigmented basal cell carcinoma (pBCC) is a rare variant of BCC. Vismodegib, was the first drug to be approved for the treatment of locally advanced (laBCCs) or metastatic basal cell carcinoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Vismodegib in patients with pBCCs. We retrospectively analyzed patients receiving Vismodegib as treatment for laBCCs presenting also various pBCCs. After 6 months of treatment, we performed excisional biopsies of pBCCs, that apparently at clinical and dermoscopic assessment did not respond to therapy. A total of nine patients were assessed. After 6 months of treatment, locally advanced target BCCs showed complete remission in four out of nine patients (44.4%), four patients (44.4%) were considered in partial remission and one patient (11%) showed no response to treatment. On the contrary, all the pBCCs showed both clinically and dermoscopically resistance to treatment. Therefore, clinically persistent pBCCs were surgically removed in three patients. Histology showed a complete elimination of the neoplastic cells together with features of previous regression. Our findings indicate that the efficacy of Vismodegib is higher than that documented by clinical or even dermatoscopic observation alone., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)