Vitiligo after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in a woman with metastatic melanoma

oleh: Ming-Han Yang, Dwan-Ying Chang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2018-12-01

Deskripsi

Historically, the median overall survival of patients with metastatic melanoma was less than one year. The recent advent of immunotherapy has changed the outlook dramatically and made long-term disease control achievable. Nivolumab, a monoclonal antibody to programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD1), has been proved to prolong survival in patients with metastatic melanoma. Vitiligo is a skin disorder characterized by the loss of color, and the postulated mechanism is immune-mediated destruction of melanocytes. Anti-PD1 treatment related to vitiligo has been reported to be associated with a favorable response in patients with melanoma. Here we present the case of a 61-year-old woman who received nivolumab for metastatic melanoma. After 6 months of nivolumab therapy, the patient experienced scattered hypopigmentation on her face, chest, and back. Durable response was noticed according to the follow-up images even after nivolumab was discontinued. Keywords: Immunotherapy, Melanoma, Vitiligo