Severe Immune-Related Adverse Events: A Case Series of Patients Needing Hospital Admission in a Spanish Oncology Referral Center and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the landscape of cancer treatment. Although several studies have shown that ICIs have a better safety profile than chemotherapy, some patients develop immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which require specialized and multidisciplinary management. Since ICI indications are rapidly increasing, it is crucial that clinicians involved in cancer care learn to identify irAEs and manage them properly. Here, we report a case series of 23 patients with severe irAEs requiring hospitalization over a period of 12 months and seize the opportunity to review and update different general features related to irAEs along with the management of the most frequent severe irAEs in our series.

Keywords

• immune checkpoint blockade
• immune-related adverse events
• colitis
• pneumonitis
• myositis
• myocarditis