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CASE REPORT article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1415117

Immune-related intestinal pseudo-obstruction caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors: Case Report

Provisionally accepted
Yimeng Qian Yimeng Qian 1,2Zheng Zhi Zheng Zhi 3*Jing Ai Jing Ai 1,4Lin Kang Lin Kang 5*Gang Qiu Gang Qiu 1*Xin Huang Xin Huang 1*Jing Zhao Jing Zhao 1*
  • 1 Department of Oncology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
  • 2 Graduate School, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China
  • 3 School of Basic Medicine, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
  • 4 Graduate School, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
  • 5 Department of Pathology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, Hebei, China

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

    Intestinal obstruction, a rare manifestation of immunotherapy-related gastrointestinal adverse events, can be severe and even life-threatening with intestinal perforation. We present a 64-year-old man with HCC and currently under the therapy with Pembrolizumab, who was admitted in our hospital with abdominal distension. Radiologic findings were consistent with small bowel ileus. After conservative treatment, the patient underwent colonoscopy where no cause of ileus was discovered. The patient received high-dose prednisone due to the side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. This resulted in a gradual improvement of symptoms.

    Keywords: Immune-related pseudo-obstruction, Immune checkpoint inhibitor, adverse effects, Bloating, Constipation

    Received: 10 Apr 2024; Accepted: 26 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Qian, Zhi, Ai, Kang, Qiu, Huang and Zhao. 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:
    Zheng Zhi, School of Basic Medicine, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei Province, China
    Lin Kang, Department of Pathology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050051, Hebei, China
    Gang Qiu, Department of Oncology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei Province, China
    Xin Huang, Department of Oncology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei Province, China
    Jing Zhao, Department of Oncology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei Province, 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.