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CASE REPORT article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1544312
Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Triggered by Sintilimab: A Case Report
Provisionally accepted
Chenxi Zhang 1
Xiaoying Zhang 1
J Iali Liang 1 Yifei Liu 1
Jialong Chen 1
Qi Wang 1
Changxing Li 1,2*- 1 Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- 2 Dongguan People’s Hospital, Southern Medical University, Dongguan, Guangdong, China
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a standard treatment for various cancers, but their use is often associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including cutaneous irAEs (cirAEs). Here, we report a rare case of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) induced by sintilimab, a PD-1 inhibitor, in a 30-year-old woman undergoing neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy for gastric cancer. The patient presented with erythema, macules, papules, and vesicles, with positive ANA (108U/mL) and strongly positive anti-SSA/Ro. After discontinuation of sintilimab and treatment with corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), her symptoms improved. This case represents the first reported instance of drug-induced lupus caused by sintilimab and emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between paraneoplastic lupus and ICIinduced lupus.
Keywords: Sintilimab, PD-1 inhibitor, Immune-related adverse events, Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, Immunotherapy
Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Zhang, Liang, Liu, Chen, Wang and Li. 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:
Changxing Li, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China
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