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Case Reports
. 2022 Feb 23;58(3):336.
doi: 10.3390/medicina58030336.

A Pathological Complete Response to the Combination of Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in a Patient with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Affiliations
Case Reports

A Pathological Complete Response to the Combination of Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in a Patient with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Hana Studentova et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Complete pathological response after ipilimumab and nivolumab combination therapy in a patient with intermediate prognosis renal cell carcinoma is an uncommon finding. Case presentation: A 60-year-old man presented with synchronous solitary metastatic bone lesion and renal cell carcinoma and achieved a complete pathological response after surgical resection of the bone lesion, followed by ipilimumab and nivolumab combination therapy and nephrectomy. The treatment was complicated by hypophysitis and oligoarthritis more than a year after the initiation of the therapy. Conclusions: Currently, the combination therapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors represents the treatment of choice in patients with intermediate- and poor-risk prognosis metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In the present case, preoperative therapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab resulted in a complete pathological response in the renal tumor. Vigilance concerning potential immune-related side effects is warranted throughout the course of therapy and the subsequent follow-up.

Keywords: hypophysitis; immunotherapy; pathological complete response; renal cell carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Initial contrast-enhanced CT scan in a coronal plane. A tumor on the lower pole of the left kidney contains a heterogeneous enhancing soft-tissue component and a central necrosis. (b) Follow-up contrast-enhanced CT scan in a coronal plane. There is only slight regression of the tumor size, but the soft-tissue component is replaced by hemorrhagic fluid and a thin fibrous wall.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Histopathological examination. A metastatic lesion of clear cell carcinoma to the humerus. (b) Histopathological examination. A metastatic lesion of clear cell carcinoma to the humerus in detail.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Histopathological examination of the primary tumor after radical nephrectomy showing pathological complete response (pCR). Necrosis, lymphocytic infiltrates, but no residual viable tumor cells are present.

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