Remarkable response to personalized combination immunotherapy of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in an 84-year-old patient with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma: a case report.

Ruifeng Li, Jiawei Chen, Zijian Li, Dixuan Zhang, Shuben Li

Abstract readCase Reports

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Article in Translational lung cancer research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 authors.

Ruifeng LiState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Jiawei ChenState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Zijian LiState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Dixuan ZhangState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Shuben LiState Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The efficacy of nivolumab plus ipilimumab (NIVO + IPI) combination therapy has been established for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, in elderly patients, the standard-dose regimens of NIVO + IPI exhibit high risk of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and concerns over relapse due to treatment discontinuation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of safe and effective dose-optimized combination immunotherapy in an octogenarian patient with locally advanced NSCLC. Case Description: We report an 84-year-old male with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a 25 pack-year smoking history. He was diagnosed with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive, stage IIIC (T4N2M0) squamous cell carcinoma with a 140 mm mass invading superior vena cava (SVC) and chest wall. Given his age, chemotherapy intolerance, and PD-L1 status, the multidisciplinary team opted to initiate a tailored, reduced-dose NIVO 200 mg every 3 weeks (Q3W) plus IPI 50 mg every 6 weeks based on pharmacokinetic (PK) rationale. After 4 cycles of treatment, partial response (PR) was achieved with a 65% reduction in tumor size, along with resolution of the SVC invasion. The patient remained progression-free at 10 months of follow-up, without grade ≥2 irAEs. Conclusions: This case successfully illustrates the safety and efficacy of personalized-dose combination immunotherapy strategy in a fragile octogenarian patient, highlighting the potential for dose optimization in geriatric oncology.

Indexed as

case reportelderly patientsipilimumab (IPI)nivolumab (NIVO)Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Identifiers

PMID42433238

DOI10.21037/tlcr-2026-1-0194

PMCPMC13351901

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