Tocilizumab in immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced myositis, myocarditis, and myasthenic syndrome: a rare case report and review of the literature.
Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are becoming more frequent with the growing use of these agents in routine clinical oncology. This mechanism enhances the anti-tumor immune response, increasing the risk of activating autoreactive T cells, and leading to immune-mediated manifestations. The spectrum of these manifestations is widely variable. ICI-associated myositis is among the most severe irAEs, being a rare but serious complication with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly when accompanied by myocarditis and/or myasthenic crisis, which can all occur concurrently and worsen clinical outcomes. We report the case of a 78-years-old man with metastatic colon adenocarcinoma who developed ICI-associated myositis with concomitant myocarditis and myasthenic syndrome. In the presented case, the use of tocilizumab, an anti-interleukin 6 (IL-6)-receptor monoclonal antibody, was effective in treating the myositis and myocarditis, but not the myasthenic component of this ICI-associated myositis.
Authors
- Paulo Pereira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4819-2112)
- Ana Margarida Correia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6475-8302)
- Hugo Gonçalves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1700-2179)
- Joana Leite Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6808-6520)
- Carla Ferreira-Campinho
- Ana Roxo Ribeiro
- Duarte Augusto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9311-8493)
- Catarina Ferreira
- Emanuel Costa
- Diogo Esperança Almeida
Institutions
- Universidade Politécnica da Guarda (PT)
- Hospital Braga (PT)
- Unidade Hospitalar de Bragança (PT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PubMed
- Published
- 2026-01-02
- Primary Topic
- Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00