Periocular basal cell carcinoma: cost of topical immunotherapy versus estimated cost of surgical treatment

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the estimated cost of clinical and surgical treatment for basl cell carcinoma of the eyelid. Methods: This was a pilot study of 12 patients with basal cell carcinoma receiving treatment with 5% imiquimod cream at the ocular plastic surgery center, medical school University of Sao Paulo (HC-FMUSP, Brazil). The cost of clinical treatment was estimated based on the time of treatment and amount of medication consumed by patients in the home setting. The cost of surgical treatment was estimated by ophthalmologists with experience in reconstructive plastic surgery based on analysis of images of the same patients. Surgeons responded to a questionnaire with four questions about surgical technique, surgical materials required, estimated duration of surgery and type of anesthesia. Results: Immunotherapy lasted from 8 to 12 weeks. All patients reported each cold-stored sachet with 5% imiquimod cream lasted 3 days. According to the institution, a box with 12 sachets costs BRL 480.00. Patients required 1.58-3.11 boxes for complete treatment, corresponding to a total cost of BRL 758.40-1,492.80. Based on image analysis, surgeons evaluated surgery would require 1-3 hours. The estimated cost of surgery room and staff was BRL 263.00, to which the cost of supplies was added. Thus, the total cost of surgical treatment was BRL 272.61-864.82. On the average, immunotherapy was 57,64% more costly than surgical treatment. Conclusions: Malignant eyelid tumors are a common finding in clinical ophthalmology. Surgery is still the treatment of choice at our institution, but immunotherapy with 5% imiquimod cream may be indicated for patients with multiple lesions or high surgical risk and for patients declining surgery for reasons of fear or esthetic concerns. The ability to estimate costs related to the treatment of malignant eyelid tumors is an important aid in the financial planning of health care institutions. Further studies should evaluate the possibility of institutions equating the cost of immunotherapy and surgical treatment by acquiring similar but less expensive medications.

Tumour cells incorporate exosomes derived from dendritic cells through a mechanism involving the tetraspanin CD9

Exosomes (Exos) are secreted nanovesicles that contain membrane proteins and genetic material, which can be transferred between cells and contribute to their communication in the body. We show that Exos, obtained from mature human dendritic cells (DCs), are incorporated by tumour cells, which after Exos treatment, acquire the expression of HLA‐class I, HLA‐class II, CD86, CD11c, CD54 and CD18. This incorporation reaches its peak eight hours after treatment, can be observed in different cell tumour lines (SK‐BR‐3, U87 and K562) and could be a means to transform non‐immunogenic into immunogenic tumour cells. Interestingly, tetraspanins, which are expressed by the tumour cells, have their surface level decreased after Exo treatment. Furthermore, the intensity of Exo incorporation by the different tumour cell lines was proportional to their CD9 expression levels and pretreatment of Exos with anti‐CD9 decreased their incorporation (by SK‐BR‐3 cells). This modification of tumour cells by DC‐derived Exos may allow their use in new immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer. Furthermore, by showing the involvement of CD9 in this incorporation, we provide a possible selection criterion for tumours to be addressed by this strategy

Differential inflammasome expression and IL-1β secretion in monocyte-derived dendritic cells differentiated with IL-4 or IFN-α

NLRP3-inflammasome activation was evaluated in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC) obtained through IL-4 (IL4-DC) or IFN-α (IFN-DC) protocols and pulsed with chemically inactivated HIV-1. Inflammasome' genes expression and IL-1β secretion were compared in DC isolated from 15 healthy subjects (HC) and 10 HIV-1 infected individuals (HIV+). FINDINGS: Whether HIV was able to increased NLRP3-inflammasome genes expression and IL-1β secretion in IL4-DC from HC, the induction of inflammasome appeared significantly reduced in IFN-DC from HC, suggesting a different responsive state of IFN-DC compared to IL4-DC. No inflammasome activation was observed in IL4-DC as well as in IFN-DC derived from HIV + subjects, confirming previous findings on "unresponsive" state of DC derived from HIV + possibly due to chronic inflammatory state of these individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that IFN-α differently modulates inflammasome expression during monocytes-DC in vitro differentiation. These findings could be of interest considering the on-going research about DC manipulation and therapeutic strategies for HIV + involving DC-based immune-vaccines.