Programmed cell death-1 blockade in recurrent disseminated Ewing sarcoma

Abstract Background Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a malignant tumour of bone and soft tissue, and although many patients are cured with conventional multimodal therapy, those with recurrent or metastatic disease have a poor prognosis. Genomic instability and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expressio...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Georgia J. B. McCaughan, Michael J. Fulham, Annabelle Mahar, Judy Soper, Angela M. Hong, Paul D. Stalley, Martin H. N. Tattersall, Vivek A. Bhadri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2016-06-01
Series:Journal of Hematology & Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13045-016-0278-x
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a malignant tumour of bone and soft tissue, and although many patients are cured with conventional multimodal therapy, those with recurrent or metastatic disease have a poor prognosis. Genomic instability and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression have been identified in EWS, providing a rationale for treatment with agents that block the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor. Case presentation In this report, we describe a heavily pre-treated patient with recurrent metastatic EWS who achieved a clinical and radiological remission with PD-1 blockade. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first reported case demonstrating efficacy of PD-1 blockade in EWS. This warrants further investigation in particular given the poor prognosis in patients with recurrent or metastatic disease.
ISSN:1756-8722