Pembrolizumab-induced Myasthenia Gravis and Myocarditis.

As the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi) such as pembrolizumab is rapidly expanding in the field of immuno-oncology, it is crucial for healthcare providers to be aware of their immune-related adverse events (irAE) which are thought to be driven by augmented immune response of T-cells. While neurologic irAE are underrepresented in literature, their consequences could lead to fatal outcomes. In this report, we describe the case of a patient with excellent performance status prior to pembrolizumab therapy who subsequently suffered myasthenic crisis eventually requiring tracheostomy and long-term mechanical ventilation.

Reirradiation: exploring new territory in the therapy of recurrent head and neck cancer.

Traditionally, systemic chemotherapy has been the main form of treatment for recurrent squamous carcinoma of the head and neck. Unfortunately, response rates are seldom higher than 20-30%, with median survival times of 6-8 months. This paper explores the emerging role of reirradiation in the setting of recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; it reviews the existing literature focusing on radiation alone in this setting, and more recent literature integrating systemic radiosensitizing cytotoxics with reirradiation.

Toxicity and outcome analysis of patients with recurrent head and neck cancer treated with hyperfractionated split-course reirradiation and concurrent cisplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy from two prospective phase I and II studies.

Background: Patients with local recurrences or new head and neck primary tumors in previously irradiated tissues have few options for salvage treatment. One option for select patients is to undergo reirradiation with concurrent chemotherapy. The purpose of this study is to report the initial clinical results of the Fox Chase phase I and II prospective reirradiation and chemotherapy studies.