Immune-related Bell's palsy in melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
By: Teresa Beninato, Giovanni Fucà, Lorenza Di Guardo, Irene Vetrano, Barbara Valeri, Francesco Nesa, Michele Del Vecchio, Carolina Cimminiello

Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Immunotherapy and Innovative Therapeutics Unit Department of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
2021-1-26; doi: 10.1097/CMR.0000000000000715
Abstract

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) exposed the oncology community to novel immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Here, we report on a retrospective analysis of patients with melanoma who developed an ICI-related, unilateral, acute and peripheral facial nerve paralysis (Bell's palsy).We retrospectively reviewed all the cases of ICI-related Bell's palsy in patients with melanoma treated at our institution from January 2015 to January 2020. A total of five cases of ICI-related Bell's palsy were identified. Median age was 63 years. Median time-to-onset of Bell's palsy from ICIs initiation was 15 weeks. Four patients were treated with prednisone alone, whereas one patient was treated with prednisone plus valaciclovir. All the patients completely recovered from Bell's palsy without neurological sequelae. In melanoma patients treated with ICIs, Bell's palsy is a rare, neurologic irAE with a favorable outcome following administration of oral corticosteroids.



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PMID:33492050






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