The Effect and Safety of Anti-PD-1 Single/Combination Therapy in Refractory Thymic Carcinoma: A Case-Series Study

Wei Jin,1,* Jian-Chun Duan,2,* Zhi-Jie Wang,2 Lin Lin,2 Hua Bai,2 Jie Wang,2 Li Feng1 1Department of Chinese Medicine, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jie WangState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, No. 17, Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 139-1070-4669Email zlhuxi@163.comLi FengDepartment of Chinese Medicine, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, No. 17, Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 186-1814-7576Email fengli663@126.comAbstract: Immunotherapy provided with checkpoint inhibitors such as the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor or its ligand-1 (PD-L1) protein has been shown to be effective for treating several types of cancer, and was recently approved for use in treating malignant melanoma, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), urothelial carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, liver cancer, and additional forms of cancer. However, there is little evidence concerning its effectiveness in treating thymic squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Here, we report two cases of refractory TSCC that were treated with PD-1 single/combination therapy in a clinical setting. The patients exhibited variable responses to therapy without any serious adverse events. In summary, our findings show that immunotherapy provided with an immuno-checkpoint inhibitor in combination with chemotherapy/anti-angiogenesis therapy can improve the treatment response of patients with refractory TSCC. Anti-PD-1 single/combination therapy may be used as a strategy for treating advanced refractory TC.Keywords: thymic carcinoma, anti-PD-1, single/combination therapy