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. 2023 Nov 20;13(11):1623.
doi: 10.3390/jpm13111623.

Cemiplimab as First Line Therapy in Advanced Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Real-World Experience

Keren Rouvinov  1 , Gal Mazor  2 , Ella Kozlener  3 , Amichay Meirovitz  1 , Noa Shani Shrem  1 , Omar Abu Saleh  4 , Sondos Shalata  5 , Alexander Yakobson  1 , Walid Shalata  1
Affiliations

Cemiplimab as First Line Therapy in Advanced Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Real-World Experience

Keren Rouvinov et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

In the treatment of cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated significantly greater effectiveness compared to conventional cytotoxic or platinum-based chemotherapies. To assess the efficacy of ICI's in penile squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC) we performed a retrospective observational study. We reviewed electronic medical records of patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), diagnosed between January 2020 and February 2023. Nine patients were screened, of whom three were ineligible for chemotherapy and received immunotherapy, cemiplimab, in a first-line setting. Each of the three immunotherapy-treated patients achieved almost a complete response (CR) after only a few cycles of therapy. The first patient had cerebral arteritis during treatment and received a high-dose steroid treatment with resolution of the symptoms of arteritis. After tapering down the steroids dose, the patient continued cemiplimab without further toxicity. The other two patients did not have any toxic side effects of the treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first real world report of near CR with cemiplimab as a first-line treatment in penile SCC.

Keywords: cemiplimab; chemotherapy-ineligible; immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs); penile carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The workflow used for the two institutions, retrospective, observational study of penile squamous cell carcinoma treated with cemiplimab.
Figure 2
Figure 2
FDG-PET-CT scan revealed the metastatic disease (left figures), (blue arrows and circle indicates metastasis), showing increase in metabolic absorption in the glans of the penis; increase metabolic absorption and enlargement of the lymph nodes in the left retroperitoneal area; and increase in metabolic absorption in the pelvic and inguinal nodes. The right-side figures show the FDG-PET-CT scan with a significant response and the complete radiological regression of the lesions.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FDG-PET-CT scan revealed the metastatic disease (left figures), (red arrows indicates metastasis), showing increase in metabolic absorption in the glans of the penis; increased metabolic absorption; and enlargement of the lymph nodes in the right inguinal area. The right-side figures show the FDG-PET-CT scan with a significant radiological response and the complete eradication of the lesions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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