Clinical case of complications of immunotherapy – encephalitis

Abstract

Nowadays, checkpoint inhibitors are widely used in the treatment of various types of cancer. However, its use is often accompanied by the development of immune-mediated adverse events (IAEs) of various systems and organs. Aim description of the features of the development of encephalitis during the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) using checkpoint inhibitors. There is a clinical case of a patient, who is receiving immunotherapy, with small cell carcinoma of the upper lobe of the left lung, stage IVA, cT2bN2M1a. The patient sought medical help in connection with complaints of an episode of memory loss, difficulty in remembering new information. Based on the clinical picture and examination data, a limbic encephalitis was diagnosed. Immune-related adverse events might affect any organ during all the period of therapy with checkpoint inhibitors. Physicians shall be aware of the risk of encephalitis development related to this type of anti-cancer therapy.

Keywords

• immune checkpoint inhibitors
• immunotherapy
• atezolizumab
• small cell lung cancer
• immune-mediated adverse events
• encephalitis