Successful use of therapeutic plasma exchange for the management of acute lung transplant rejection secondary to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy

Abstract

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in individuals with a history of solid organ transplantation is fraught with the emergence of solid organ transplantation rejection (SOTR). The current recommendations for the management of SOTRs secondary to ICI include the use of high-dose steroids along with the escalation of immunosuppressive therapy. Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) has been described to be effective in managing various immune-related toxicities, however, the data for using TPE in the setting of acute SOTRs induced by ICIs are limited. Herein, we describe the successful use of TPE in a patient with a history of bilateral lung transplantation who developed an episode of mixed acute cellular and antibody-mediated lung transplant rejection after a single dose of PD-1 inhibitor Pembrolizumab for the treatment of underlying melanoma.