A case report of clonal EBV-like memory CD4⁺ T cell activation in fatal checkpoint inhibitor-induced encephalitis.

ABSTRACT: Checkpoint inhibitors produce durable responses in numerous metastatic cancers, but immune-related adverse events (irAEs) complicate and limit their benefit. IrAEs can affect organ systems idiosyncratically; presentations range from mild and self-limited to fulminant and fatal. The molecular mechanisms underlying irAEs are poorly understood. Here, we report a fatal case of encephalitis arising during anti-programmed cell death receptor 1 therapy in a patient with metastatic melanoma. Histologic analyses revealed robust T cell infiltration and prominent programmed death ligand 1 expression. We identified 209 reported cases in global pharmacovigilance databases (across multiple cancer types) of encephalitis associated with checkpoint inhibitor regimens, with a 19% fatality rate. We performed

SUBMITTER: Johnson DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6689251 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature