Rapid and long-term response of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma to nivolumab

Abstract

Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma (PPC) is a rare very aggressive subtype of non-small cell lung cancer. We herein report a case of PPC that showed a rapid response to nivolumab. The patient, whose multiple tumors had progressed very aggressively, was treated with nivolumab, an anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody. The tumors dramatically shrank after one cycle of nivolumab. The tumors were positive for programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). An immunohistochemical analysis revealed numerous PD-1+, CD68+ and CD206+ macrophages. This PD-1 antibody may be a good treatment option, especially in tumors that express PD-L1 and which show PD-1+ macrophage infiltration.