Purpose: To test the hypothesis that the US Food and Drug Administration approval of vismodegib in early 2012 has reduced the prevalence of orbital exenteration for locally advanced periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
Methods: Following institutional review board approval, the authors reviewed clinical and pathological data of patients with locally advanced periocular BCC (T4 per the eyelid carcinoma classification in the 8th edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual) treated by the senior author during 2006-2018. Patients were grouped into those who were treated before February 2012 ("before vismodegib approval") and those who presented later ("after vismodegib approval").
Results: Forty-two patients with locally advanced periocular BCC were treated during the study period, of whom 31 were men. The median age at presentation was 66 years (range, 43-90). Twenty-two patients had T4a and 20 had T4b tumors. Thirteen patients were treated before and 29 were treated after vismodegib approval. The 2 groups did not differ in age distribution (p = 0.164), sex distribution (p = 0.270), prevalence of recurrent tumor at presentation (p = 0.317), or duration of treatment with vismodegib (p = 0.605). Orbital exenteration was significantly more prevalent in patients treated before vismodegib approval than after (46% vs. 10%, p = 0.016), and vismodegib treatment was significantly more prevalent in patients treated after vismodegib approval than before (when vismodegib was given in clinical trials; 69% vs. 23%, p = 0.008). There was a trend toward more patients retaining their eyes at last follow-up in patients treated after vismodegib approval (83% vs. 54%, p = 0.066).
Conclusions: The prevalence of orbital exenteration as a necessary surgical procedure in patients with a locally advanced periocular BCC has fallen since the Food and Drug Administration approval of vismodegib. Although vismodegib is not specifically approved for organ-sparing, it has changed the authors' practice and enabled eye preservation in patients with locally advanced periocular BCC, who would otherwise require an orbital exenteration.