{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,17]],"date-time":"2026-10-17T22:47:57Z","timestamp":1792277277563,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,1]],"date-time":"2022-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1640995200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000054","name":"National Cancer Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["U01 CA215848"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["U01 CA215848"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000054","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ther Adv Med Oncol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are the current guideline recommended treatment for many malignancies considered to be terminal. Despite considerable advances, their utility remains limited, and the field requires synergistic partners to further improve outcomes. Oncolytic viruses (OV) are emerging as contenders for the role of the synergistic agent of choice due to their multi-mechanistic effect on activating the tumor \u2018cold\u2019 immune microenvironment. Herpes simplex virus 1, a naturally selective OV, is the most advanced virotherapeutic compound in clinical applications for use in combination with ICI. We here present the case of a 72\u2009year-old patient with a heavily pre-treated, advanced maxillary sinus squamous cell cancer with distant metastases who developed complete response (CR) with only three administrations of a programmed death 1 inhibitor after treatment interference by a severe herpes zoster infection, based on the related alpha-herpesvirus varicella zoster virus (VZV). This exceptional response has been followed and confirmed with imaging studies over more than 5\u2009years. Although the patient had several favorable predictors for response to immunotherapy, we reason that the exceptional response may in part be secondary to the serendipitous VZV infection. Documented cases of cancer patients that achieved CR after few administrations of treatment with ICI are rare, with most reporting follow up of just over 1\u2009year or less. In this case, it is conceivable that the interference of the infection with VZV, soon after the start of immunotherapy with ICI, led to a lasting antitumor immunity and sustained CR. This hypothesis is supported by the concept of \u2018oncolytic immunotherapy\u2019 which is reviewed in this manuscript. In addition, persistence of a TP53 mutation found in a liquid biopsy, despite clinical and radiologic remission, is discussed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/17588359221122729","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,10,20]],"date-time":"2022-10-20T08:31:58Z","timestamp":1666254718000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Serendipitous synergism \u2013 an exceptional response to treatment with pembrolizumab in the course of a natural immunovirotherapy: a case report and review of the literature"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Lara M.","family":"Khoury","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kimberly M.","family":"Burcher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal 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