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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.

Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1608828

Case Report: Immune checkpoint inhibitor exhibits dual benefits for a refractory lymphoma patient with disseminated mucormycosis

Provisionally accepted
Qibei TengQibei Teng1Qianqian YangQianqian Yang2Zhizhi TaoZhizhi Tao3Jinwen HuangJinwen Huang2Cheng ZhangCheng Zhang1Fangfei ShaoFangfei Shao2Wenjue PanWenjue Pan2Xiujie ZhaoXiujie Zhao2Haowen XiaoHaowen Xiao2*
  • 1Department of Hematology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, P R China., Hangzhou, China
  • 2Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, P R China., Hangzhou, China
  • 3Department of Radiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, P R China, Hangzhou, China

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Invasive mucormycosis contributes to a high mortality rate in patients with hematological malignancies. When it disseminates to multiple organs, especially to the brain, the prognosis is extremely poor. The traditional antifungal strategies including surgery have less efficacy in patients with hematological malignancies. Here, we describe a case report of a 62-year-old man with refractory lymphoma who developed mucormycosis caused by Rhizomucor pusillus after chemotherapy, which disseminated extensively to the lungs, diaphragm, brain and spleen. He was successfully treated with antifungal agents combined with PD-1 inhibitor, which may simultaneously exhibit efficacy in treatment of lymphoma and mucormycosis. The patient's lymphoma and mucormycosis were well controlled; ultimately, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was successfully performed, and the patient achieved long-term survival.

Keywords: Lymphoma, Invasive mucormycosis, Rhizomucor pusillus, Immune checkpoint inhibitor, Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, immunomodulator

Received: 09 Apr 2025; Accepted: 20 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Teng, Yang, Tao, Huang, Zhang, Shao, Pan, Zhao and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Haowen Xiao, Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, P R China., Hangzhou, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material