Gambale Elisabetta, Venturi Giulia, Guarino Adriana, Vascotto Ismaela Anna, Pillozzi Serena, Desideri Isacco, Doni Laura, Antonuzzo Lorenzo
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Clinical Oncology, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.
Cancer Diagn Progn. 2024 Sep 1;4(5):680-683. doi: 10.21873/cdp.10381. eCollection 2024 Sep-Oct.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common skin cancer with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in advanced stages. Treatment options for metastatic cutaneous SCC in very elderly patients are limited due to concerns about treatment tolerability and potential adverse effects.
We report the case of a 90-year-old female patient with metastatic cutaneous SCC who was treated with cemiplimab, a monoclonal antibody (m-Ab) against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), in combination with radiotherapy. The patient received cemiplimab for a limited period, during which time she demonstrated significant clinical improvement without severe adverse events. Radiotherapy was performed as a locoregional treatment with the aim to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.
This case highlights the feasibility and effectiveness of cemiplimab in very elderly patients with metastatic cutaneous SCC. Despite the common apprehensions regarding the use of immunotherapy in this age group, our patient tolerated cemiplimab well, and the combination with radiotherapy proved beneficial. This suggests that even in very elderly patients, short-term use of cemiplimab, in conjunction with locoregional treatments such as radiotherapy, can be a viable and successful therapeutic approach.
Cemiplimab, even in combination with radiotherapy, can be effectively and safely administered to very elderly patients with metastatic cutaneous SCC. This case supports the consideration of immunotherapy, even for a limited duration, as a practical option in the management of advanced cutaneous SCC in elderly patients, expanding the potential treatment strategies for this population.
背景/目的：皮肤鳞状细胞癌（SCC）是一种常见的皮肤癌，具有较高的发病率和死亡率，尤其是在晚期。由于担心治疗耐受性和潜在不良反应，老年患者转移性皮肤SCC的治疗选择有限。
我们报告了一例90岁女性转移性皮肤SCC患者，接受了西米普利单抗（一种抗程序性细胞死亡蛋白1（PD-1）的单克隆抗体（m-Ab））联合放疗治疗。患者接受西米普利单抗治疗的时间有限，在此期间她表现出显著的临床改善且无严重不良事件。放疗作为局部区域治疗进行，目的是提高免疫治疗疗效。
该病例突出了西米普利单抗在老年转移性皮肤SCC患者中的可行性和有效性。尽管对于该年龄组使用免疫治疗存在普遍担忧，但我们的患者对西米普利单抗耐受性良好，且与放疗联合证明是有益的。这表明即使在老年患者中，短期使用西米普利单抗并结合放疗等局部区域治疗，也可以是一种可行且成功的治疗方法。
西米普利单抗，即使与放疗联合使用，也可以有效且安全地用于老年转移性皮肤SCC患者。该病例支持将免疫治疗，即使是有限疗程，作为老年患者晚期皮肤SCC管理中的一种实用选择，从而扩大了该人群的潜在治疗策略。
