Pre-treatment serum lactate dehydrogenase as a biomarker in small cell lung cancer.

Background: Small cell lung cancer is a rapidly progressive disease with high fatality. No sensitive and specific biomarker to assist in managing this disease exists currently.

Aim: Role of pretreatment serum lactate dehydrogenase as a biomarker in small cell lung cancer.

Risk of cumulative toxicity after complete melanoma response with pembrolizumab.

Pembrolizumab is an approved first-line systemic therapy for unresectable metastatic melanoma. Despite the achievement of complete and durable responses in a small subgroup of patients, it is standard practice that pembrolizumab therapy continues beyond complete response. Nevertheless, the incidence of immune-related toxicities gradually increases with continuing pembrolizumab therapy.

Vedolizumab: a novel treatment for ipilimumab-induced colitis.

Use of the immune checkpoint inhibitors, ipilimumab and nivolumab, has revolutionised treatment in patients with metastatic melanoma. However, these drugs can cause an autoimmune enterocolitis, with diarrhoea as the presenting symptom. This is conventionally managed by prompt institution of corticosteroid therapy if moderate diarrhoea (3-6 times/day; grade 2) is present for >5 days or if diarrhoea is severe (>6 times/day; grade 3).