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Is oral lichen planus a contraindication for immunotherapy in a patient with recurrent oral SCC?

There have been reports of pembrolizumab leading to lichen planus (my understanding is lichen planus pathophysiology unclear, but potentially autoimmune). Conversely, there are clinical trials looking at using immunotherapy to treat leukoplakia (NCT03603223).
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Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Medical Oncology · University of Michigan Medical School
Answered on

I have personally given Pembrolizumab to a patient with an oral SCC who had underlying lichen planus. The patient had a good response to therapy, but I also treated the patient with a conditioning regimen of steroids during treatment so as not to exacerbate the lichen planus. I gave prednisone 40 mg...

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