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. 2017 Sep 5;74(10):1216–1222. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.1912

Table 1. Clinical Features and Outcomes After Treatment.

Patient No./Sexa Cancer Diagnosis Treatment Cycles to Onset of Neurological Complication Neurological Diagnosis Modified Rankin Scale Score Treatment Stopped Additional Treatments Neurological Outcome Modified Rankin Scale Score After Treatment
1/Male Stage IV melanoma Pembrolizumab 2 Severe necrotizing myopathy 5 Yes Prednisone (80 mg daily) for 12 d, 3 sessions of plasmapheresis Death 6
2/Male Stage IV melanoma Pembrolizumab 1 Myopathy 1 Yes Methylprednisolone (1-g single dose), prednisone (100 mg daily) for 3 d and then prednisone (60 mg daily), tapering weekly over 1 mo Improved 0
3/Male Stage IV melanoma Pembrolizumab 10 Axonal thoracolumbar polyradiculopathy 4 Yes Prednisone (30 mg daily), weekly taper over 1 mo, IVIG (1 g/kg) for 2 doses Improved 2
4/Male Stage IV melanoma Pembrolizumab 6 Severe demyelinating length-dependent peripheral neuropathy with axonal loss 3 Yes Prednisone (120 mg daily), followed by slow taper over 2.5 mo Improved 2
5/Male Stage IV melanoma Pembrolizumab 20 Facial diplegic variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome 2 Yes IVIG (0.4 g/kg daily) for 5 d Improved 1
6/Male Stage IV peritoneal mesothelioma Nivolumab 5 Asymmetric vasculitic neuropathy 3 Yes Methylprednisolone (1 g intravenously daily) for 5 d, prednisone (60 mg daily), tapering over 3 wk Improved 3
7/Male Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma Pembrolizumab 11 Cerebellar ataxia and dysarthria 4 Yes None Improved 2
8/Male Stage IV esophageal adenocarcinoma Pembrolizumab 3 Autoimmune retinopathy 2 No IVIG (0.4 g/kg) 3 consecutive days every 3 wk Improved 2
9/Female Stage IV leiomyosarcoma Nivolumab 3 Bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia 2 No Corticosteroid (dose unknown) for 1 wk Improved 0
10/Female Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma Nivolumab 14 Headache 2 No Dexamethasone (4 mg twice daily) for 1 wk Improved 0

Abbreviation: IVIG, intravenous immunoglobulin.

a

Ages range from 31-78 years.