[Docetaxel and Ramucirumab Combination Chemotherapy after Nivolumab Treatment for Pretreated Pulmonary Squamous Cell Carcinoma-A Successful Case].

ABSTRACT

For immune checkpoint inhibitor(ICI)-pretreated patients, docetaxel and ramucirumab(DTX plus RAM)combination therapy can be more effective than no treatment. Herein, we present the case of a patient who had been treated with ICIs and was thereafter successfully treated with DTX plus RAM. A 62-year-old man with primary pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma( PDL-1 tumor proportion score<1%)at clinical stage ⅠA2(cT1bN0M0)was treated as follows 1)right upper lobectomy ND2a-2(pT1bN0M0, stage ⅠA2); 2)surgery for a solitary pleural metastasis 20 months later; 3)cisplatin plus vinorelbine for multiple pleural metastases as a first-line treatment 24 months after the initial surgery; and 4)nivolumab as a second-line treatment. However, progressive disease and an adverse event occurred after 5 courses of nivolumab, and DTX plus RAM were introduced as a third-line treatment. A complete response to 12 courses of combination therapy(41 months after surgery/29 months after recurrence)was determined. Unfortunately, the DTX plus RAM regimen had to be withdrawn because the patient developed drug-induced acute pneumonitis. The patient has been in remission since drug discontinuation and is receiving steroid and home-oxygen therapy.