In the last three decades cutaneous melanoma has been widely investigated as a steroid hormone-sensitive cancer. Following this hypothesis, many epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between estrogens and melanoma. No evidence to date has supported this association due to the great complexity of genetic, external and environmental factors underlying the development of this cancer. Molecular mechanisms through which estrogen and their receptor exert a role in melanoma genesis are still under investigation with new studies increasingly focusing on the discovery of new molecular targets for therapeutic treatments.

Background Drug survival measures the rate and duration of adherence to a given therapeutic agent and evaluates its long-term effectiveness, safety, and real-world utility. The SUSTAIN study sought to establish the drug survival and effectiveness of secukinumab for patients with severe chronic plaque psoriasis (CPP) in the Australian clinical setting. Methods Data of all patients (aged >= 18 years) from Australasian Psoriasis Registry (APR) treated with secukinumab were analysed. The primary objective was to describe the drug survival of secukinumab at 9 months. Key secondary objectives included drug survival of secukinumab at 3, 6, 15, and 21 months, stratified by biologic-naive vs biologic-experienced patients; proportion of patients achieving Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75/90/100 responses; and changes in health-related quality of life over time utilising the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results Of 294 patients included in this analysis, 110 (37.4%) were biologic-naive and 184 (62.6%) biologic-experienced. Kaplan-Meer drug survival rates in biologic-naive vs biologic-experienced patients were 0.92 vs. 0.86 (9 months) and 0.82 vs. 0.68 (21 months), respectively. The proportion of patients with PASI 75/90/100 responses for biologic-naive vs. biologic-experienced was 100/87.7/38.4 vs 98.5/61.5/27.2 (9 months) and 100/81.0/41.7 vs. 98.4/62.0/24.2 (21 months), respectively. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) DLQI in biologic-naive vs. experienced patients was 2.2 (4.1) vs. 3.1 (5.2) (9 months) and 1.4 (2.5) vs. 3.1 (5.3) (21 months). No new safety signals were observed. Conclusions Secukinumab demonstrated high drug survival and sustained effectiveness in Australian real-world setting, in biologic-naive and biologic-experienced patients with severe CPP.

Background: Treatment goals have been established in Australia to facilitate the management of adults with moderate to severe psoriasis. The Australasian College of Dermatologists sought to determine if and how these adult treatment goals could be modified to accommodate the needs of paediatric and adolescent patients.Methods: A modified Delphi approach was used. Comprehensive literature review and guideline evaluation resulted in the development of statements and other questions to establish current clinical practices. Two rounds of anonymous voting were undertaken, with a collaborative meeting held in between to discuss areas of discordance. Overall, consensus was defined as achievement of ≥75% agreement in the range 7–9 on a 9‐point scale (1 strongly disagree; 9 strongly agree).Results: Consensus was achieved on 23/29 statements in round 1 and 17/18 statements in round 2. There was a high level of concordance with treatment criteria in the adult setting. The limitations of applying assessment tools developed for use in adult patients to the paediatric setting were highlighted. Treatment targets in the paediatric setting should include objective metrics for disease severity and psychological impact on the patients and their family, and be based on validated, age‐appropriate tools.Conclusion: While the assessment, classification and management of moderate to severe psoriasis in paediatric patients aligns with metrics established for adults, it is vital that nuances in the transition from childhood to adolescence be taken into account. Future research should focus on psoriasis severity assessment scales specific to the paediatric setting.

This retrospective analysis of Hedgehog inhibitor treatment in 32 patients with Gorlin syndrome, locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) at three tertiary referral centres in Victoria, Australia from April 2017 until 30 June 2024 demonstrated an 84% overall objective response rate (partial and complete response combined). However, 90% of patients experienced adverse effects impacting quality of life. Secondary acquired drug resistance occurred in 77% (10/13) of locally advanced and metastatic BCC patients after a median duration of 13 months. Further work is needed to optimise the neoadjuvant use of Hedgehog inhibitors with radiotherapy or surgery given poor long‐term Hedgehog inhibitor tolerability and to develop strategies to counteract the issue of acquired resistance.