ArticleEcancermedicalscience2023
Re-challenge of immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab with concurrent tocilizumab after prior grade 3 pneumonitis.
Article in Ecancermedicalscience, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Narrative review of the similarities and differences between immune checkpoint inhibitor- and antibody-drug conjugate-associated pneumonitis.Translational lung cancer research · 2026Review
- Risk factors and outcomes for steroid-refractory immune-related hepatotoxicity in locally advanced and metastatic cancer.Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2026Article
- Is Immunotherapy a Contraindication for Treating Lung Cancer Patients with Interstitial Lung Diseases? A Review of the Literature.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- An Adverse Double-Hit by Pembrolizumab: A Case Report of Bullous Pemphigoid and Pneumonitis.Journal of medical cases · 2025Article
- Cytokine release syndrome treated with tocilizumab following ipilimumab-nivolumab combination therapy in advanced renal cell carcinoma.IJU case reports · 2025Article
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Pediatric Cancers: Is It Still a Stalemate?Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are associated with specific immune-related adverse events (irAEs) which are unique compared to cytotoxic chemotherapy. For life-threatening adverse events including grade 3 or more, permanent discontinuation of the ICIs is recommended, albeit without much robust evidence. Safe re-challenge of ICIs with concurrent immunosuppression has been reported with irAEs like gastrointestinal toxicity and arthritis. Here we present a case of a lady with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma with programmed death ligand1 expression, who showed a complete response to pembrolizumab used as third-line therapy. However, it had to be stopped after 22 doses when the patient developed grade 3 pneumonitis. In view of progression off pembrolizumab, and lack of other effective alternatives, pembrolizumab was re-challenged with concurrent interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockade using tocilizumab. This was based on preliminary evidence on the role of IL-6 in mediating the irAEs, especially pneumonitis. The patient re-attained a complete response with pembrolizumab. There was no recurrence of the pneumonitis after rechallenging, and there was partial radiographic resolution of the ICI-interstitial lung disease after the combination therapy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.