Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

Sarah B. Goldberg, MD, MPH, and colleagues conducted a phase 2 study to test the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab among patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer and small brain metastases that had not been previously treated or had progressed after radiotherapy.

A subset of patients with cancer who received an immune checkpoint inhibitor developed new hyperglycemia, suggesting the therapy may play a role in immune-related insulin resistance.

Coordinated care between oncology and rheumatology is one of the key principles of the EULAR recommendations for management of immune-related adverse events associated with cancer checkpoint inhibitor therapy, according to data presented at the EULAR 2020 E-Congress.

Oncologists should be encouraged to promptly consult with rheumatologists in the event of suspected immune-related adverse events due to checkpoint inhibitor therapy, according to a series of “points to consider” published by EULAR in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

In this episode, Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, is joined by his colleague and daughter Cassandra Calabrese, DO, as they discuss specifics of irAEs, including unusual toxicities, rheumatic conditions associated with checkpoint inhibitors and the rheumatologist’s role in this new area of medicine.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The rheumatic effects of checkpoint therapy remain, despite their increased spotlight in recent years, among the most poorly defined of the immune-related adverse events associated with the emerging cancer treatment, according to Cassandra Calabrese, DO, of the Cleveland Clinic.

MRI imaging may help physicians distinguish between inflammatory arthritis caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors from other joint pain, and aid in identifying patients who are at an increased risk for joint damage, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.

Checkpoint inhibitors have changed the field of oncology, as well as our understanding of autoimmunity. This episode, hosted by Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, walks us through the history of checkpoint inhibitors — from Dr. William Coley’s use of infections in cancer to the development of PD-1 inhibitors.

Published research found acute kidney injury occurred frequently after the initiation of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for patients with cancer.

ATLANTA — Although disease flares were common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis who received immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat concomitant malignancies, the symptoms were mostly manageable and few patients discontinued the treatment, according to findings presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.