Immunotherapy experience in sinonasal NUT midline carcinoma, case report


CANER B., Orhan S. O., DELİGÖNÜL A., EVRENSEL T.

Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, vol.20, no.1, pp.479-481, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 20 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_1083_22
  • Journal Name: Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.479-481
  • Keywords: Head and neck cancer, immunotherapy, NUT midline carcinoma
  • Bursa Uludag University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is an aggressive malignant neoplasm arising from midline structures. Although it is classified as a rare disease, the pathological nonspecific appearance as undifferentiated/poorly differentiated carcinoma and the difficulty in making the definitive diagnosis are probably the reasons for the underdiagnosis; the disease is thought to be more prevalent. There is no standard treatment for the disease. The disease shows a poor response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and patients’ survival is poor. We present a case of sinonasal NMC treated with chemotherapy and immunotherapy in first-line, which is the first in the literature. The patient presented with metastatic disease and received cisplatin-fluorouracil-docetaxel-pembrolizumab treatment. The tumor’s PD-L1 expression was 10%, evaluated by tumor proportion score. The response to the therapy was poor, and the patient died of disease progression 5.4 months after the diagnosis. The efficacy of immunotherapy in NMC is not known. More reports are needed to draw conclusions.