Anlotinib succeeded in rescue therapy for hyperprogression induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors: a case report

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are important therapeutic agents for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Nevertheless, these new therapies can lead to unexpected serious complications, such as hyperprogressive disease (HPD). Once HPD occurs, most patients die within 1-3 months due to the lack of effective treatments. This paper reports a patient with advanced lung cancer who experienced HPD after two cycles of third-line sintilimab treatment. Sintilimab was stopped, and rescue anlotinib treatment was started. A partial response was achieved, and the clinical signs and symptoms were relieved. The patient died 7 months later from a lung infection. Although the mechanisms are unknown, anlotinib might be effective in managing non-small-cell lung cancer with HPD after sintilimab.