Medical dilemma: Programmed death 1 blockade (sintilimab) therapy in patients suffering from tumours combined with psoriasis

Tumour immunotherapy represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has greatly improved the overall prognosis of patients with malignant tumours, and is regarded as an important breakthrough in the field of medicine in recent years. ICIs have gradually become the core of tumour therapy and are increasingly used in the clinic. In order to achieve early clinical prediction and management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), it is still necessary to perform further research on the mechanisms, risk factors, and predictors of irAE occurrence in the future. Zhou <i>et al</i> describe the consultation of a patient with advanced gastric cancer combined with chronic plaque psoriasis. This case provides an important reference for the use of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors in patients of tumours combined with chronic plaque psoriasis. This case also highlights that screening of high-risk groups for irAEs is critical before applying PD-1 inhibitors to patients with chronic psoriasis combined with tumours. PD-1 inhibitors are new and potent antineoplastic agents that can cause serious immune-related adverse events such as toxic epidermal necrolysis release and psoriasis. Glucocorticosteroids are the first-line agents for irAEs. The incidence of rheumatic irAEs may be higher in reality, which will inevitably become a new challenge for rheumatologists and dermatologists.