Combination of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor in Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma Publisher



Moghadam SZ ; Manafifarid R ; Nghiem P ; Gunnell L ; Askari E
Source: Iranian Journal of Nuclear Medicine Published:2024

Abstract

A 78-year-old woman with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) to the cervical and thoracoabdominal lymph nodes as well as cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions on the thighs and trunk was referred for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE. Prior to PRRT, the disease had progressed through four cycles of pembrolizumab. Symptomatic benefit and a stable radiographic response was achieved following two cycles of [177Lu]Lu- DOTA-TATE therapy (cumulative dose: 13.32 GBq) in combination with pembrolizumab. The patient could not receive further cycles due to complications from COVID-19 infection. PRRT in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors is a promising therapeutic option for mMCC patients, refractory to conventional therapies. Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This work is published as an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4). Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted, provided the original work is properly cited.