Use of Pembrolizumab in End-Stage Renal Disease: A Case Report with Complete Response

Overview

Journal Case Rep Oncol

Publisher Karger

Specialty Oncology

Date 2022 Apr 18

PMID 35431871

Authors

Marina Vitorino

Catarina Santos

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Second-line treatment in urothelial carcinoma is not well defined. Immunotherapy has shown good outcomes in this setting, but it has not been tested in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We present a clinical case describing the use of pembrolizumab in a patient under hemodialysis (HD) that achieved a complete response. A 72-year-old man was diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma in 2001. Following transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, bacillus Calmette-Guérin, and mitomycin treatment, he underwent surgery in 2018. The patient required HD since surgery. A few months after surgery, there was disease progression with lung metastasis. A first-line treatment with carboplatin and gemcitabine was started, but after 5 cycles, disease progression was confirmed. It was decided to initiate second-line treatment with pembrolizumab. After 13 months of immunotherapy, a CT scan showed a complete response with total involution of lung metastasis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are an option to second-line treatment in urothelial carcinoma. Further studies are needed to clarify the efficacy and tolerance of this therapy in ESRD patients.

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