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CASE REPORT article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1484915
This article is part of the Research Topic Opportunities and Challenges of Head and Neck Cancer Treatment in the Era of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors View all 6 articles

Sarcomatoid carcinoma transformation in oral undifferentiated carcinoma following sequential immune combined targeted therapy: A case report

Provisionally accepted
Jieying Li Jieying Li Xiaohong Zhan Xiaohong Zhan Wei Shang Wei Shang Kai Song Kai Song *
  • The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The diagnosis and treatment of head and neck undifferentiated carcinoma (HNUC) present significant challenges. Herein, we present the case of a patient with advanced HNUC who underwent conversion surgery following treatment with a combination of pembrolizumab and nimotuzumab.During therapy, histological transformation from undifferentiated to sarcomatoid carcinoma was detected at the primary site. This case not only highlights the potential of immune combinationtargeted therapy to reduce tumour burden and increase the surgical options for patients, but also reveals the complex alterations in tumour biology that may occur during treatment. It emphasizes the necessity for routine pathological assessments throughout the therapeutic regimen to guide personalised therapeutic strategies and optimise patient prognoses.

    Keywords: undifferentiated carcinoma1, sarcomatoid carcinoma2, pathological transformation3, immunotherapy4, targeted therapy5, conversion therapy6

    Received: 22 Aug 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Zhan, Shang and Song. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kai Song, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.