Toripalimab in an advanced non-small cell lung cancer patient with poor general condition after multiline treatment: a case report

Abstract

Several clinical trials have proven that immunotherapy can improve survival and benefit non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In patients who progress after chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy can prolong overall survival compared with patients receiving single-agent chemotherapy. A 61-year-old man diagnosed with advanced NSCLC and without driver variants received first-line chemotherapy but experienced recurrence. During subsequent treatment, the disease progressed rapidly, and his general condition deteriorated; therefore, toripalimab monotherapy was initiated. Surprisingly, he responded well, and symptoms were relieved after several treatment cycles despite pseudoprogression, shown in chest images. For driver gene-negative NSCLC patients who progress after chemotherapy and who develop poor performance status (PS), ICIs are an option to alleviate symptoms and improve survival. Furthermore, immunotherapy in patients with pseudoprogression may also provide a survival benefit.