• All News
• Consumer
• Pro
• New Drugs
• Pipeline
• Clinical Trials
• FDA Alerts

Adverse Events Up With Immune Checkpoint Blockade Added to Periop Cancer Therapy

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 6, 2023.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6, 2023 -- The addition of an immune checkpoint blockade to perioperative cancer therapy is associated with increased incidence of certain adverse events, according to a review published online Nov. 24 in The Lancet Oncology.

Yu Fujiwara, M.D., from Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine how adding an immune checkpoint blockade to perioperative therapy affects treatment-related adverse events. Data were included from 28 randomized controlled trials with 16,976 cancer patients.

The researchers found no significant association for addition of an immune checkpoint blockade with increased treatment-related deaths, and this finding was consistent across immune checkpoint blockade subtypes. Across 9,864 patients treated with an immune checkpoint blockade, 40 fatal toxicities were identified, with pneumonitis the most common (15.0 percent); among 7,112 patients who were not treated with an immune checkpoint blockade, 13 fatal toxicities were identified. The incidence rates of grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse events, adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation, and treatment-related adverse events of any grade were increased with the addition of an immune checkpoint blockade (odds ratios, 2.73, 3.67, and 2.60, respectively). Increased incidence rates of treatment-related deaths and grade 3 to 4 adverse events were seen in association with an immune checkpoint blockade versus placebo design primarily used as adjuvant therapy (odds ratios, 4.02 and 5.31, respectively), while incidence was not increased with the addition of an immune checkpoint blockade in the neoadjuvant setting.

"Our analysis points to a need for further research into risk factors and identification of appropriate biomarkers to predict both efficacy and toxicity associated with cancer immunotherapy," Fujiwara said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted December 2023

More news resources

• FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
• Daily MedNews
• News for Health Professionals
• New Drug Approvals
• New Drug Applications
• Drug Shortages
• Clinical Trial Results
• Generic Drug Approvals

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.