Rapid evolution of acute kidney injury after initial infusion of pembrolizumab in a melanoma patient concurrently treated with RAF/MEK inhibitors.

Melanoma Res
Authors
Abstract

The use of either immune checkpoint blockade or RAF/MEK inhibitors represents standard of care treatment options for metastatic melanoma. Each class of these drugs has distinct response kinetics, adverse effects, and unique clinical challenges. Combination of immune checkpoint blockade and RAF/MEK inhibitors may result in rapid and durable responses, however, the potential adverse effects of such combinations are poorly characterized. Here, we describe the case of a patient with BRAF-mutant melanoma who received an initial infusion of anti-PD-1 therapy while taking RAF/MEK inhibitors and experienced severe acute kidney injury, an otherwise infrequent side effect of any of these drugs alone. Treatment with corticosteroids rapidly reversed this process, indicating an underlying immune-mediated complication. A deeper understanding of potential adverse effects of combination therapies and their potential mechanisms should be carefully considered in the treatment landscape for melanoma and other cancers.

Year of Publication
2020
Journal
Melanoma Res
Volume
30
Issue
2
Pages
219-222
Date Published
2020 04
ISSN
1473-5636
DOI
10.1097/CMR.0000000000000646
PubMed ID
31634214
Links
Grant list
K08 CA222663 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States