Successful Treatment of Aplastic Anemia Induced by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Lung Cancer

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective against many types of cancers. However, these drugs can trigger unintended immune attacks on normal tissues, leading to a range of side effects known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Involvement of the hematopoietic system in irAEs is rare, and a standard treatment has not yet been established. We herein report a 72-year-old man with non-small-cell lung cancer who developed aplastic anemia (AA) after ICI treatment. Eltrombopag improved the long-term blood count without causing severe infection. This case suggests that eltrombopag may be a viable treatment option for ICI-induced AA.