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Acute “Asteatotic” Dermatitis Induced by Pazopanib and Nivolumab in a Patient with Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Cover

Acute “Asteatotic” Dermatitis Induced by Pazopanib and Nivolumab in a Patient with Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

By: S. Ramadan and  P. Vasilev  
Open Access
|Feb 2026

Abstract

Introduction

Scientific research on cancer biology in the past few decades has enabled the development of multiple different types of new anticancer drugs. These therapeutic agents include tyrosine kinase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapies. They are significantly more precise than classical chemotherapies, but frequently induce adverse effects. Cutaneous side effects are the most frequently observed ones, and when they are severe or prolonged in time, they eventually lead to morbidity, dose modification or drug discontinuation. They significantly affect the quality of life in patients, medication adherence, elevate infection risk, resulting in high economic burden and many hospital visits for cancer patients.

Case Presentation

We report a case of severe acute asteatotic dermatitis in a 54-year-old male patient induced by pazopanib and nivolumab for the treatment of clear cell renal cell carcinoma. After treatment, the erythema faded, desquamation and xerosis were significantly reduced. Systemic oncology therapy was switched to M-TOR inhibitor everolimus. The patient maintains mild generalized skin xerosis, but is using topical emollient cream daily and topical corticosteroids occasionally for maintenance. The patient is being followed up.

Conclusion

The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy is constantly increasing, and dermatologists care for a growing number of cancer patients with cutaneous adverse events with different pathogenesis and complexity in comparison to the classical dermatoses. This leads to the need for a collaboration between dermatologists and oncologists.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/amb-2026-0010 | Journal eISSN: 2719-5384 | Journal ISSN: 0324-1750
Language: English
Page range: 69 - 73
Submitted on: Apr 4, 2024
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Accepted on: Jun 24, 2025
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Published on: Feb 21, 2026
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

© 2026 S. Ramadan, P. Vasilev, published by Medical University - Sofia
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.