Mao XM, Wang WH. Vitiligo-like rash in a patient with lung cancer caused by sintilimab: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(14): 101981 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i14.101981]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Wei-Hua Wang, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Jiangshan People’s hospital, No. 9 Hangbengshan Road, Jiangshan 324100, Zhejiang Province, China. mxm0077@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Medical Informatics
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. May 16, 2025; 13(14): 101981 Published online May 16, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i14.101981
Vitiligo-like rash in a patient with lung cancer caused by sintilimab: A case report
Xiao-Ming Mao, Wei-Hua Wang
Xiao-Ming Mao, Wei-Hua Wang, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Jiangshan People’s Hospital, Jiangshan 324100, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Mao XM and Wang WH wrote the original manuscript; Wang WH reviewed and edited the manuscript; All authors thoroughly reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient and submitted.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Wei-Hua Wang, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Jiangshan People’s hospital, No. 9 Hangbengshan Road, Jiangshan 324100, Zhejiang Province, China. mxm0077@163.com
Received: October 3, 2024 Revised: December 14, 2024 Accepted: December 27, 2024 Published online: May 16, 2025 Processing time: 103 Days and 13.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
This article discusses a case involving a 63-year-old man with non-small cell lung cancer, who was treated with a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The patient was treated with five cycles of chemotherapy (pemetrexed and carboplatin) combined with sintilimab, a programmed death 1 inhibitor.
CASE SUMMARY
After the fifth cycle of treatment, the patient developed skin itching and a vitiligo-like rash, which are known side effects of immunotherapy. Despite dermatological consultation and treatment with topical corticosteroids, the rash worsened while the itching subsided. The patient continued with the treatment, and after 15 cycles, the tumor showed a response with a reduction in size. The vitiligo-like rash increased, but the antitumor treatment remained effective.
CONCLUSION
The case highlights the use of immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and the potential side effect of vitiligo-like rash. The patient’s tumor responded well to the treatment, and despite the skin reaction, the treatment was not discontinued due to its effectiveness. The article suggests that further studies are needed to understand the mechanism behind vitiligo in patients with lung cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors and whether the development of vitiligo-like rash after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is associated with improved prognosis. The case also underscores the importance of managing immune-related adverse events in the context of effective antitumor treatment.
Core Tip: The article presents a case study of a 63-year-old male with non-small cell lung cancer treated effectively with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, despite developing immune-related skin adverse events manifesting as a vitiligo-like rash. Treatment with sintilimab, a programmed death 1 inhibitor, resulted in tumor regression and highlights the need for further research into the prognostic significance and mechanisms of vitiligo-like rash in patients with lung cancer undergoing immunotherapy.
