Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41725077›Full record

ArticleJournal of immunotherapy (Hagerstown, Md. : 1997)2026

Life-Threatening Radiation Necrosis After Complete Response to Pembrolizumab in a Patient With a Metastatic Silent PIT1 Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor (PitNET).

Dario De Alcubierre, Tiziana Feola, Francesca Gianno, Monica Verrico, Francesca Carbonara, Eugenio Venditti, Andrea M Isidori, Vincenzo Esposito, Giuseppe Minniti, Marie-Lise Jaffrain-Rea

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of immunotherapy (Hagerstown, Md. : 1997), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Dario De AlcubierreNeuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.
Tiziana FeolaNeuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.
Francesca GiannoNeuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.
Monica VerricoDepartment of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Francesca CarbonaraDepartment of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Eugenio VendittiNeuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.
Andrea M IsidoriDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Vincenzo EspositoNeuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.
Giuseppe MinnitiNeuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.
Marie-Lise Jaffrain-ReaNeuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-5916-8997

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metastatic pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (metPitNETs) are rare neoplasms with limited therapeutic options. Temozolomide is the first-line therapy, but primary or secondary resistance frequently occurs. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are emerging as a promising second-line option; however, clinical experience remains limited. We report the long-term follow-up of a 62-year-old male patient who received pembrolizumab (PBZ) treatment for a silent metPitNET derived from the PIT1 lineage after multiple surgical and radiation therapies and temozolomide failure. PBZ was proposed based on extensive PD-L1 expression by tumor cells. A remarkable clinical, radiologic, and metabolic response was soon observed, progressively leading to complete disease remission after 21 months of treatment, with moderate immune-related adverse events. However, an unexpected rapid neurological deterioration occurred, due to the progression of a pseudotumoral temporal radionecrosis surrounded by an impressive vasogenic oedema, requiring emergency neurosurgery 7 weeks after PBZ withdrawal. The temporal mass had progressively developed on a previous small temporal metastasis treated through stereotactic radiosurgery, the corresponding area was hypometabolic at 18 FDG PET-CT imaging, and histopathologic examination confirmed extensive radionecrosis and the absence of residual tumor cells. This is the first documented complete response to ICI in a PIT1-derived metPitNET. However, this remarkable response was complicated by the severe evolution of a brain radionecrosis, probably favoured by long-term PBZ. This case underscores the need for multidisciplinary expertise to differentiate treatment effects from neoplastic progression and to carefully follow-up the patients for potentially severe late treatment-related complications. It also questions the optimal duration of treatment in responsive cases.

Indexed as

Antibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalNeuroendocrine TumorsPituitary NeoplasmsRadiation InjuriesHumansMaleMiddle AgedNecrosisNeoplasm MetastasisPathologic Complete ResponseTranscription Factor Pit-1Treatment OutcomeAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalpembrolizumabTranscription Factor Pit-1immune checkpoint inhibitorsmetastatic PitNETPD-L1pembrolizumabPIT1pituitary carcinomapituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET)pseudoprogressionradiation necrosis

Identifiers

PMID41725077
PMCPMC13061375

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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.