Successful treatment of trichilemmal carcinoma with distant metastasis using pembrolizumab: a case report and review

Abstract

Trichilemmal carcinoma (TC) is a rare, malignant cutaneous adnexal tumor. TC often has nonspecific clinical manifestations and its aggressive nature is frequently overlooked. Metastasis of TC is rarely reported and there is no standard treatment for recurrent or metastatic TC. We report a complicated case of TC arising from the parotid gland with metastasis to cervical lymph nodes. The tumor progressed after multiple surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy. Finally, the patient achieved good response and disease control with pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting programmed cell death protein-1. Currently, the patient has received 19 cycles of pembrolizumab and the disease remains well controlled. This represents the first reported use of immune checkpoint blockade to treat TC.