Successful Treatment of an Elderly Patient with Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Tislelizumab and Chemotherapy: a Case Report with Novel Imaging Findings

Lufan Xu ^1,2 Xinxin Ma ^1,2 Yang Yang ³ Zhiqiang Ding ^2* Yi Luo ^2*

• ¹ Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
• ² Affliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
• ³ Nantong Tumor Hospital, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China

The advent of immunotherapy has transformed the therapeutic landscape for inoperable, locally advanced Non-Small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly for lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) with a predominance ofnegative driver genes. Based on the results of clinical trials such as KEYNOTE-042 and KEYNOTE-407, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are now recognized as the standard of care for first-line or second-line treatment in many countries. Among the 17 immune checkpoint inhibitors sanctioned in China, tislelizumab,a domestically developed PD-1 inhibitor,enjoys broad application. Here, we present a case of a patient with LUSC who attained complete remission by cyst formation with the combination of tislelizumab and chemotherapy. Despite the absence of expression data for this patient, imaging studies revealed a reduction in the primary lesion size and the emergence of an uncommon cystic alteration post-treatment with sequential immunochemotherapy and tislelizumab monotherapy. As per the most recent follow-up, the lesion has vanished entirely. This outcome holds significant implications for the treatment of driver gene-negative LUSC by tislelizumab.