Imaging findings can’t mean everything in the era of immunotherapy: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) play an important role in the treatment of cancers. However, immunotherapy can also induce atypical response patterns, including pseudoprogression, which is challenging to clinicians. We reported a case of non-small-cell lung cancer showing so-called pseudoprogression during the treatment of pembrolizumab and the patient benefited clinically from continued treatment with ICIs. Therefore, beside imaging evaluation, the assessment of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score, numerical rating scale score of cancer pain, tumor markers levels, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio should be used for response evaluation of tumors in the era of immunotherapy. And more accurate evaluation methods and reliable information are urgently needed to better understand the pseudoprogression.