Case Report: Pathologic Complete Response to Pembrolizumab in Combination With Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in a Patient With Stage IIB Squamous Lung Cancer

• Main Authors: Lin Zhang, Wuqian Mai, Wenyang Jiang, Qing Geng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-11-01
• Series: Frontiers in Surgery
• Subjects: PD-1/PD-L1; pembrolizumab; lung cancer; neoadjuvant therapy; pathological complete response (PCR)
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsurg.2020.601805/full

The emergence of PD-1 antibodies has radically changed the therapeutic profiles of lung cancer, which has the highest incidence and mortality rate among all cancers worldwide. Pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, has been proven to have strong anti-tumor activity in a variety of clinical studies. Here, we described a patient with stage IIB squamous lung cancer who has benefited from a preoperative pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy regimen. The addition of pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery led to a pathologic complete response and the avoidance of left pneumonectomy. This case highlights the effect of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy on non-small cell lung cancer patients and has provided a promising choice in future clinical practice.