Frontiers in Immunology (Nov 2020)

Case Report: Immune-Related Toxicity During Adjuvant Treatment With BRAF Plus MEK Inhibitors in a Melanoma Patient

  • Andrea Boutros,
  • Andrea Boutros,
  • Chiara Schiavi,
  • Federica Cecchi,
  • Francesco Spagnolo,
  • Antonio Guadagno,
  • Enrica Teresa Tanda,
  • Francesca Giusti,
  • Giuseppe Murdaca,
  • Paola Queirolo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.579523
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Adjuvant treatment of operated melanoma has deeply changed in the last few years with the introduction of immune-checkpoint inhibitors and BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease causing non-caseous granulomatous reactions. Sarcoid-like granulomatous reactions have been reported in patients with advanced melanoma, mostly related to immunotherapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. We report a case of a 38-year-old woman with stage III operated melanoma treated with adjuvant BRAF plus MEK inhibitors, who developed sarcoidosis-like syndrome with systemic involvement, resolved after discontinuation of treatment. The occurrence of immune-related toxicity with the use of MAPK inhibitors supports the hypothesis that this class of drugs may also have an immunological effect, and that the long-term efficacy of adjuvant MAPK inhibitors may be due to their immunological function.

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