Hypercalcaemia due to Sarcoidosis during Treatment with Avelumab for Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare but aggressive skin cancer. Response to chemotherapy is not durable but avelumab, an anti-PD-L1 inhibitor, showed promising ongoing response in a phase II trial. Checkpoint inhibitors including avelumab are known to cause overactivation of the immune system, leading t...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Karger Publishers
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Oncology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/502285 |
| Summary: | Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare but aggressive skin cancer. Response to chemotherapy is not durable but avelumab, an anti-PD-L1 inhibitor, showed promising ongoing response in a phase II trial. Checkpoint inhibitors including avelumab are known to cause overactivation of the immune system, leading to immune-related adverse events (irAE). We describe the first reported case of hypercalcaemia secondary to reactivation of sarcoidosis in a patient with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma on avelumab. Hypercalcaemia was managed with corticosteroids to full resolution and avelumab therapy was safely continued. |
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| ISSN: | 1662-6575 |