Case report of penpulimab, nab-paclitaxel, and anlotinib in porocarcinoma

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Frontiers in Medicine Published May 11, 2026 Medically reviewed May 11, 2026 DOI ↗ By Dr. Julia Lee, PhD · Oncology, Genomics & Drug Development

Key Takeaway

Consider that this combination showed transient response in one porocarcinoma case, but evidence is insufficient for clinical use.

This is a case report with a brief literature review, not a controlled trial. It describes the clinical course of a 78-year-old woman with porocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer. The patient received first-line treatment with penpulimab (a PD-1 inhibitor) combined with nab-paclitaxel. After 2 cycles, she achieved a partial response (PR). After 4 cycles, she had stable disease with minor regression. However, after 5 cycles, she developed progressive disease. She then received anlotinib hydrochloride capsules plus local radiotherapy, but ultimately succumbed to the disease. The authors suggest that this combination regimen may be a viable therapeutic option for this refractory malignancy, but this conclusion is based on a single case. No adverse events or safety data are reported. The literature review component is not systematic and likely includes only selected cases. Given the lack of comparator, small sample size (n=1), and absence of controlled data, the findings should be interpreted with caution. The practice relevance is limited to generating hypotheses for future research rather than guiding current clinical decisions.

Study Details

Study typeSystematic review

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedMay 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

A 78-year-old female with a history of multiple comorbidities was admitted due to a 20-year-old skin mass in the right temporal region with ulceration for more than 2 months. Porocarcinoma (PC) was confirmed by pathological and immunohistochemical examination of surgically resected tissue. The patient developed rapid recurrence after tumor resection and received 5 cycles of penpulimab combined with nab-paclitaxel. Efficacy was evaluated as a partial response (PR) after 2 cycles, stable disease (SD) with minor regression after 4 cycles, and progressive disease (PD) after 5 cycles. Subsequent treatment with anlotinib hydrochloride capsules combined with local radiotherapy was administered, and the patient ultimately succumbed to the disease. Emerging evidence in recent years has highlighted the potential of immune checkpoint blockers for rare cutaneous malignancies. Our case report demonstrates that combination therapy with an anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody and chemotherapy exhibits therapeutic efficacy in PC. During the entire treatment course, an initial response was achieved followed by acquired resistance, with the best overall response being PR, suggesting that this combination regimen may serve as one of the viable therapeutic options for this refractory malignancy. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of PC.