{
  "abstract": "The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) after liver transplantation (LT) remains controversial, because immune activation may cause allograft rejection. Evidence in non-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) malignancies is limited. We retrospectively reviewed three LT recipients treated with pembrolizumab for advanced non-HCC malignancies at the McGill University Health Centre; treatment began between May 2020 and January 2025, and follow-up was censored on 31 January 2026. A patient with PD-L1-negative non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) achieved stable disease for approximately seven months, whereas a patient with PD-L1-high NSCLC achieved a durable partial response with progression-free survival of approximately 36 months. A third patient with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma achieved a near-complete radiologic and metabolic response after two cycles. Pembrolizumab was held after this response; subsequent liver-test abnormalities raised concern for graft injury, but biopsy showed no histologic rejection and supported treatment resumption. No clinical or biochemical evidence of rejection was observed in Cases 1 and 2. At cutoff, Case 3 was alive and receiving pembrolizumab after seven cycles. These cases support a cancer-specific, individualized risk-benefit assessment in which expected oncologic benefit, alternatives, graft history, immunosuppression, and acceptance of graft-loss risk guide multidisciplinary treatment and close graft surveillance.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3T2, Canada.",
    "Département d'oncologie médicale, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805 Villejuif, France.",
    "Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5H3, Canada.",
    "Cedars Cancer Centre, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada.",
    "Department of Oncology, St. Mary's Hospital Center, Montreal, QC H3T 0A2, Canada.",
    "Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Belinda Jiao",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-5427-5963"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Charles Vincent Rajadurai",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8067-3376"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nissim Benizri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Arielle Sabbah",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-6487-5338"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Scott Owen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9745-0555"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Khashayar Esfahani"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Marc Deschenes"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Philip Wong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Xun Zhao",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4767-9981"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jamil Asselah"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0x794v9gpd9qr.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/curroncol33100623",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13703177",
  "id": "0x794v9gpd9qr",
  "issns": [
    "1198-0052",
    "1718-7729"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930190",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2730|Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222621010",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13703177?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13703177",
  "pmid": "42930190",
  "published": "2026-10-16",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0x794v9gpd9qr.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42930190",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930190"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2730|Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers",
      "subfield": "oncology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Immunotherapy in Liver Transplant Recipients with Advanced Solid Malignancies: A Three-Patient Case Series.",
  "title_text": "Immunotherapy in Liver Transplant Recipients with Advanced Solid Malignancies: A Three-Patient Case Series.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0x794v9gpd9qr",
  "venue": "Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.)",
  "versions": []
}