Case report: Bilateral uveitis and papillitis secondary to treatment with pembrolizumab

• Main Authors: Carmen Navarro-Perea, Javier Garcia-Gonzalez, Eugenio Perez-Blazquez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Ophthalmology
• Subjects: ctla-4; melanoma; papillitis; pd-1; pembrolizumab; uveitis
• Online Access: http://www.ijo.in/article.asp?issn=0301-4738;year=2019;volume=67;issue=12;spage=2075;epage=2077;aulast=Navarro-Perea

Pembrolizumab is a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of metastatic melanomas. Severe ocular complications appear in less than 1% of the patients and require early treatment. We present the case of a patient diagnosed with a BRAF mutated metastatic melanoma. Ocular pain and a blurred vision appeared after treatment and the patient visited the ophthalmology emergency room, where he was diagnosed with acute anterior uveitis (AAU), synechiae, and bilateral papillitis. The patient was treated with topical corticosteroids, prednisone, and mydriatics, which immediately improved the patient's status. Therefore, when an ocular inflammatory disease exists, immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments must be ruled out as possible causes.