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Immune checkpoint inhibitor (nivolumab)-associated kidney injury and the importance of recognizing concomitant medications known to cause acute tubulointerstitial nephritis: a case report

R. Koda, Hirofumi Watanabe, Masafumi Tsuchida, N. Iino, Kazuo Suzuki, G. Hasegawa, N. Imai, I. Narita

BMC Nephrology, 2018

72 citations

Abstract

BackgroundAcute tubulointerstitial nephritis (ATIN) has been increasingly recognized as an important manifestation of kidney injury associated with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4). While the exact pathophysiology remains unknown, corticosteroids are the mainstay of management.Case presentationWe describe a 67-year-old man with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer who developed kidney injury during treatment with the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab. A kidney biopsy showed ATIN without granuloma formation. Considering their mechanism of action, immune checkpoint inhibitors can alter immunological tolerance to concomitant drugs that have been safely used for a long time. For more than 4 years before the initiation of nivolumab therapy, the patient had been receiving the proton pump inhibitor lansoprazole, known to cause drug-induced ATIN, without significant adverse events including kidney injury. He showed rapid improvement in kidney function in 3 days (creatinine decreased from 2.74 to 1.82 mg/dl) on discontinuation of lansoprazole. He then received 500 mg intravenous methylprednisolone for 3 days followed by 1 mg/kg/day oral prednisolone and his creatinine levels eventually stabilized around 1.7 mg/dl. Drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST) for lansoprazole was positive.ConclusionsThe rapid improvement of kidney function after discontinuation and DLST positivity indicate that lansoprazole contributed to the development of ATIN during…

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