Bicytopenia in Primary Lung Melanoma Treated with Nivolumab.

Abstract

A 73-year-old man who was a current smoker complained of weakness in his limbs and slow movement and was diagnosed with primary lung melanoma with brain metastases. Following stereotactic brain radiotherapy, nivolumab was administrated. After the first cycle of nivolumab, his blood neutrophil count and hemoglobin levels started to decline. Excluding other possible causes, nivolumab was considered the most probable cause of bicytopenia. Nivolumab was not restarted, and the bicytopenia gradually recovered with no corticosteroid administration for this event. While serious hematological adverse events regarding immune checkpoint inhibitors have been assumed to be rare, severe neutropenia and anemia should be considered in patients receiving immune checkpoint therapy.

• Authors: Ayumu Takahashi, Akihito Kubo, Shohei Mizuno, Kenji Kasai, Nobuhiro Asai, Toshiyuki Yonezawa, Kenshi Kosaka, Masaki Nishimura, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Norihito Yokoe, Toyonori Tsuzuki, Akiyoshi Takami, Etsuro Yamaguchi
• Journal: Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Intern Med) Vol. 58 Issue 6 Pg. 827-831 (Mar 15 2019) ISSN: 1349-7235 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 30449777 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological
• Nivolumab

Topics

• Aged
• Anemia (chemically induced, diagnosis)
• Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Lung Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Male
• Melanoma (drug therapy)
• Neutropenia (chemically induced, diagnosis)
• Nivolumab (adverse effects, therapeutic use)