The Significant Antitumor Activity of Nivolumab in Lung Adenocarcinoma with Choriocarcinomatous Features

• Published in: Internal Medicine Vol. 57; no. 12; pp. 1773 - 1777
• Main Authors: Ochi, Mieko, Miyamoto, Shingo, Terada, Yuriko, Furuhata, Yoshiaki, Awano, Nobuyasu, Izumo, Takehiro, Ikushima, Soichiro, Bae, Yuan, Kumasaka, Toshio, Kunito, Hideo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine 15.06.2018; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: acquisition of resistance; Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma - drug therapy; Adenocarcinoma - secondary; Adenocarcinoma of Lung; Antibodies, Monoclonal - therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Antitumor activity; Ataxia; Brain cancer; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Brain tumors; Bronchoscopy; Case Report; Cerebellum; Chemotherapy; choriocarcinoma; Choriocarcinoma - pathology; Computed tomography; Histology; Humans; Internal medicine; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Lung Neoplasms - secondary; Male; Metastases; Middle Aged; Monoclonal antibodies; Nivolumab; PD-1; PD-L1; Targeted cancer therapy; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; PD-L1; nivolumab; PD-1; choriocarcinoma; acquisition of resistance
• ISSN: 0918-2918; 1349-7235
• DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.0002-17

We report the case of a 60-year-old Japanese man with a metastatic brain tumor that caused ataxia. As a consequence of resection of a cerebellar tumor, the tumor was diagnosed as a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with choriocarcinomatous features. The patient underwent bronchoscopy, leading to a diagnosis of the same histology as the brain tumor. After the administration of first-line chemotherapy and maintenance therapy due to progressive disease, he was given nivolumab and obtained a partial response; however, 11-months later, computed tomography showed tumor progression. Our experience suggests that nivolumab has strong activity, even in patients with a rare form of lung cancer.