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Speaker: Checkpoint inhibitors may produce rheumatic side effects
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NEW YORK — Checkpoint inhibitors — which are effective as cancer therapy — may yield side effects that are rheumatic, according to Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, at the Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit.
“In general, 90% of patients who get these drugs will experience immune-related adverse events and most of these are mild,” Calabrese said. Of the side effects, 5% are rheumatic. These include arthralgia, arthritis, giant cell arteritis, myositis, sicca and lupus, according to a study published in Annals of Rheumatic Disease.
“This is the first series to be reported of immune-related adverse events of rheumatic nature,” Calabrese said.
According to Calabrese, these often require high-dose glucocorticoids and may require biologics.
Despite the potential rheumatic side effects, immunotherapy remains an effective treatment for cancer and is beginning to emerge as treatment for chronic infectious disease.
“Science named this the breakthrough of the year,” Calabrese said. “It is now on commercials and billboards. It is transforming care of many types of tumors.” – by Will Offit
Reference:
Calabrese L. Update: Immune-related adverse events from cancer immunotherapy. Presented at: Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit; March 24-26, 2017; New York.
Disclosure: Calabrese reports he is a consultant for AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Crescendo Biologics, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Regeneron and UCB.