© 2021 The Author(s).
Published by S. Karger AG, Basel
Case Report
Case Rep Oncol 2021;14:931–937
Durable Response to PD1 Inhibitor
Pembrolizumab in a Metastatic,
Metaplastic Breast Cancer
Elan Gorshein
a
Kant Matsuda
b
Gregory Riedlinger
b
Levi Sokol
c
Lorna Rodriguez-Rodriguez
d
Firas Eladoumikdachi
e
Miral Grandhi
e
Shridar Ganesan
a
Deborah L. Toppmeyer
a
Lindsay Potdevin
e
Kathleen Toomey
f
Kim M. Hirshfield
a
Nancy Chan
a
a
Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA;
b
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA;
c
Department of Radiology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick,
NJ, USA;
d
Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA;
e
Division of
Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School,
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA;
f
Division of Medical
Oncology, Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School,
Steeplechase Cancer Center, Somerville, NJ, USA
Keywords
Metaplastic breast cancer · Exceptional response · Immunotherapy · Program death ligand-1
Abstract
Metaplastic breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Tumor
characteristics typically feature estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2-nega-
tive, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), with a poorer prognosis relative to pure invasive
ductal or lobular disease. Resistance to chemotherapy often leads to local recurrence and
distant metastasis. Genomic profiling has identified multiple molecular abnormalities that
may translate to targetable therapies in MBC. These tumors are known to display higher PD-
L1 expressivity than other subtypes of breast cancer, and disease control with pembrolizumab
and chemotherapy has been documented. We identify a patient with metastatic, metaplastic
Received: February 4, 2021
Accepted: February 26, 2021
Published online: June 18, 2021
Correspondence to:
Nancy Chan, nancy.chan @cinj.rutgers.edu
www.karger.com/cro
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
(CC BY-NC) (http://www.karger.com/Services/OpenAccessLicense). Usage and distribution for commercial
purposes requires written permission.
DOI: 10.1159/000515510
Elan Gorshein, Lorna Rodriguez-Rodriguez, and Kim M. Hirshfield: Contribution during his/her time at
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.