Sneaky side effects and ineffectiveness of an immunotherapy with ipilimumab in a case of metastatic melanoma

ABSTRACT

Ipilimumab is an anti-CTLA-4 antibody that is approved for the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma. Side-effects are mostly immune-mediated and in many cases the lack of specific symptoms leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment of adverse events. We present the case of a female patient who experienced an uncommon combination of adverse reactions while undergoing therapy with ipilimumab and where the absence of specificity of the symptoms led to late diagnosis and treatment of side effects. Autoimmune disease was neither associated with tumor response nor with prolonged survival.

KEYWORDS:

• autoimmunity
• ipilimumab
• immunology
• melanoma
• orbital myositis
• side effects
• vitiligo

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.