2021 Volume 54 Issue 1 Pages 73-82
We herein present a case of clinical complete response using nivolumab for anorectal malignant melanoma with lymph node recurrence. An 84 year-old male was referred to our hospital with a chief complaint of hematochezia and anal pain, which was finally diagnosed as anorectal malignant melanoma. Preoperative studies showed no distant metastases, and the patient underwent laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection. Although pathological exams revealed that the tumor had invaded the submucosa with multiple lymph node metastases, adjuvant chemotherapy was not used. Six months after surgery, a CT scan demonstrated right lateral lymph node swelling, which led to a diagnosis of recurrent malignant melanoma. Administration of nivolumab was started as treatment for the metastatic lesion. Although immune-related adverse events occurred, CT at 24 months after surgery showed that the recurrent tumor had disappeared, so the case was judged as a clinical complete response. In this report, we described a rare case of clinical complete response using nivolumab for recurrent anorectal malignant melanoma. Anorectal malignant melanoma is a rare disease with an extremely poor prognosis. This case suggests that nivolumab may provide a superior survival benefit.
