Anlotinib succeeded in rescue therapy for hyperprogression induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors: a case report

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are important therapeutic agents for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Nevertheless, these new therapies can lead to unexpected serious complications, such as hyperprogressive disease (HPD). Once HPD occurs, most patients die within 1–3 months due to the lack of effective treatments. This paper reports a patient with advanced lung cancer who experienced HPD after two cycles of third-line sintilimab treatment. Sintilimab was stopped, and rescue anlotinib treatment was started. A partial response was achieved, and the clinical signs and symptoms were relieved. The patient died 7 months later from a lung infection. Although the mechanisms are unknown, anlotinib might be effective in managing non-small-cell lung cancer with HPD after sintilimab.