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Pembrolizumab May Induce Sarcoid-Like Skin Reactions

Marilynn Larkin  |  

Dr. Daniel J. Aires, director of the dermatology division at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, tells Reuters Health he has seen the lesions described in the papers in the university’s clinics.

“The key take-away is that dermatologic monitoring can be helpful for patients on pembrolizumab,” he says by email.

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He adds that pembrolizumab also “has been reported to cause autoimmune eye disease and autoimmune arthritis, while similar drugs in its class have been associated with autoimmune colitis.”

The authors did not respond to requests for comments.

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References

  1. Burillo-Martinez S, Morales-Raya C, Prieto-Barrios M, et al. Pembrolizumab-induced extensive panniculitis and nevus regression: Two novel cutaneous manifestations of the post-immunotherapy granulomatous reactions spectrum. JAMA Dermatol. 2017 May 3. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.0581. [Epub ahead of print]
  2. Freites-Martinez A, Kwong BY, Rieger KE, et al. Eruptive keratoacanthomas associated with pembrolizumab therapy. JAMA Dermatol. 2017 May 3. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.0989. [Epub ahead of print]

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