A Complete Response to Pembrolizumab in Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Case Report

• Published in: Cureus Vol. 16; no. 1; p. e52716
• Main Authors: Bairos Menezes, Maria, Pedroso de Lima, Rita, Dunões, Inês, Inácio, Mariana, Dinis, Rui
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2024
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.52716

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM) is a rare cancer of the peritoneum with a poor prognosis and nonspecific clinical course. We discuss a case of MPeM in a 59-year-old male who presented with abdominal pain and distension, without any known previous asbestos exposure. The diagnosis was made after a second biopsy finally confirmed epithelioid MPeM in an advanced stage with pleural effusion. The patient underwent six cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed, experienced disease progression, and was then started on pembrolizumab as a second-line treatment. The patient achieved a complete response after two years of treatment with pembrolizumab and has been disease-free for almost four years with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0. Despite the lack of evidence to support the treatment with immunotherapy for MPeM, our case report encourages its use, highlighting its ability to enable a complete response with pembrolizumab with an excellent quality of life.