Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors confer significant clinical benefit by bolstering immune-system activity, however, they also produce a spectrum of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Rapid recognition and timely treatment of these patients is essential for improved outcomes.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of English-language articles in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases on patients with head and neck cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors who developed treatment-related adverse events.
Results: Of 1715 unique citations, 11 studies met inclusion criteria. Eight patients with serious irAEs were reported from case reports and case series. Overall, 46 treatment-related AEs were identified from the pooled 791 patients with at least 12 having potential relevance to irAEs. The most frequent AEs observed in patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors involved the endocrine, cutaneous, and gastrointestinal systems.
Conclusions: Characterizing irAEs in longitudinal studies is needed for developing strategies for their prompt recognition and management.
© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.