Immune-related pneumonitis requiring low-dose prednisone maintenance in one patient with durable complete response

Immune-related pneumonitis is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening adverse event associated with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 therapy, and has a higher recurrence rate than that of other pneumonitis. Glucocorticoids are the first treatment of choice for patients with immune-related pneumonitis over grade 1. Given the toxicity associated with glucocorticoids, they should be withdrawn gradually as soon as pneumonitis is controlled. However, low-dose glucocorticoids are maintained in some patients to prevent immune-related pneumonitis.

We report a rare case of a patient with Hodgkin lymphoma who developed grade 2 immune-related pneumonitis, requiring long-term low-dose glucocorticoid maintenance therapy, during which pneumonitis disappeared, and complete response was achieved.

Tislelizumab treatment was stopped tentatively, and the patient was given prednisone at an initiating dose of 1 mg/kg/d. The cough symptoms were relieved significantly, and pneumonitis was reduced. The prednisone gradually dwindled, but the immune-related pneumonitis was recurrent, requiring prednisone 10 mg daily maintenance therapy. Subsequently, prednisone and tislelizumab were administered simultaneously, and at present, pneumonitis disappeared and the lesions are in complete remission.

Low-dose glucocorticoids might play an important role in controlling the recurrence and development of immune-related pneumonitis. The dose and course of glucocorticoid in immune-related pneumonitis patients should be individualized to minimize the toxicity of glucocorticoid.