Authors
Tong Bu, Nan Zhang, Tong Jin, Zixuan Wang, Yichen Mao, Dan Zong, Wenjie Guo, Xia He
Published in
Frontiers in oncology. Volume 16. Pages 1941008. Epub Oct 05, 2026.
Abstract
SMARCA4-deficient non-small cell lung cancer (SD-NSCLC) is a highly aggressive molecular subtype. This malignancy is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, carrying a dismal prognosis and also demonstrating poor responsiveness to traditional treatment. Beyond its primary site, the disease can exhibit unusual metastatic patterns such as metastasis to oral soft tissues. We report a unique case of a 61-year-old male heavy smoker with molecularly confirmed SD-NSCLC who experienced rapid metastatic progression to the right gingiva and neck lymph nodes shortly after radical surgery and initial chemo-immunotherapy. This clinical scenario exemplifies primary resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), where pre-existing genetic or microenvironmental barriers hinder initial therapeutic success. To overcome this resistance, a salvage multimodal strategy was implemented, integrating ICIs with etoposide/cisplatin (EP) chemotherapy and low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT). Remarkably, this regimen achieved significant regression of the bulky metastatic lesions and has maintained sustained disease stability for over 15 months, with the patient remaining clinically stable as of the latest follow-up in June 2026. This case may hint the potential role of LDRT as an immunomodulatory component to overcome primary resistance in SD-NSCLC, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for patients who experience disease progression following first-line chemo-immunotherapy.
PMID:
42898113
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Oct 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 8
- Comments 0