Cutaneous adverse reactions in a lung cancer patient treated with pembrolizumab: A case report

Lung cancer is the main cause of oncological death in the US and worldwide, constituting a significant public health problem. The incidence of lung cancer is on the increase. In the present study, the diagnostic process was carried out and treatment options were considered to determine the therapeutic response of a patient diagnosed with lung cancer. The case of an early stage lung cancer patient who benefited from surgical treatment was presented. The pathology report stated the complete diagnosis to be pleomorphic lung cancer with an adenocarcinoma component, pT2aN0M0, with focal positivity for thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1), without epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and ALK recombinations, having an initial clinical stage of IB and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) positivity with a tumor proportion score of over 70%. The patient underwent radiotherapy treatment and was administered osteoclast inhibitors and immunotherapy, with no favorable therapeutic effect and with the presence of secondary cutaneous adverse effects to pembrolizumab. As a main cause of death, lung cancer registers a low general survival rate even in patients with targeted therapies or immunotherapy. By better identifying the patients at risk, one can establish a more efficient personalized treatment; the future objective of scientific studies is the follow-up of adverse effects of new therapies.