{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,16]],"date-time":"2026-05-16T08:20:11Z","timestamp":1778919611834,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":6,"publisher":"S. Karger AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,13]],"date-time":"2018-07-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1531440000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,13]],"date-time":"2018-07-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1531440000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Case Rep Oncol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Avelumab is indicated for the management of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer. Its regulatory approval followed the positive outcome of a Phase 2 trial on 88 patients with stage IV disease, which excluded patients with immunodeficiency due to HIV, a risk factor for this cancer type. We report a positive and sustained response to avelumab in an HIV-positive patient with stage IV Merkel cell carcinoma refractory to previous chemotherapy (cisplatin\/etoposide) and radiotherapy. Five cycles of avelumab 10 mg\/m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;\/sup&gt; resulted in the resolution of tumor activity visualized using PET-CT scanning in all affected lymph nodes. The only major side effect associated with avelumab was thyroiditis and mild hypothyroidism, a known adverse effect of this treatment, which was well controlled by L-thyroxine treatment. Treatment is ongoing and the positive response has been sustained during 5 further cycles of treatment up to date. This apparently durable response is consistent with the earlier clinical trial experience with avelumab, but seen here in a patient with HIV-associated immunodeficiency as a predisposing factor (an exclusion criterion from the previous trial). Further clinical trials with avelumab in a broader patient population with Merkel cell carcinoma are warranted.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1159\/000490636","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,13]],"date-time":"2018-07-13T21:06:34Z","timestamp":1531515994000},"page":"467-475","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Favorable Response to Treatment with Avelumab in an HIV-Positive Patient with Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma Previously Refractory to Chemotherapy"],"prefix":"10.1159","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Mohammed\u00a0U.","family":"Al\u00a0Homsi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mai","family":"Mostafa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khaled","family":"Fahim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"127","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejca.2016.10.022"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2017.00561"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12929-017-0329-9"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s40265-017-0749-6"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1470-2045(16)30364-3"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s40425-017-0310-x"}],"container-title":["Case Reports in Oncology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.karger.com\/Article\/Pdf\/490636","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.karger.com\/Article\/Pdf\/490636","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,23]],"date-time":"2025-04-23T16:40:47Z","timestamp":1745426447000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/article\/doi\/10.1159\/000490636"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,13]]},"references-count":6,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,12,20]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,8,31]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/000490636","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{"is-supplemented-by":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.6084\/m9.figshare.6814409","asserted-by":"subject"}]},"ISSN":["1662-6575"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1662-6575","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,13]]}}}