Nivolumab plus gemcitabine, dexamethasone, and cisplatin chemotherapy induce durable complete remission in relapsed/refractory primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma: a case report and literature review

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is an uncommon, but aggressive, type of B-cell lymphoma. Patients with relapsed refractory PMBCL (rrPMBCL) have limited therapeutic options and usually have a relatively poor outcome. Immune checkpoint blockade has become a potential treatment for this disease. We report here a case of a female patient with rrPMBCL who was treated with nivolumab plus gemcitabine, dexamethasone, and cisplatin (GDP) chemotherapy. Complete remission was achieved after four cycles of combined therapy. With continued nivolumab maintenance monotherapy, she has remained in complete remission for longer than 28 months. This is the first report of nivolumab plus GDP chemotherapy inducing complete remission in patient with rrPMBCL. This case supplements the limited literature and provides implications for clinical trial designs regarding the potential use of nivolumab in the treatment of rrPMBCL.