The Long-Term Sequelae and Clinical Workload Resulting from Toxicities of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) Therapy in Patients with Cancer.

IF 2 Q3 PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY

Drugs - Real World Outcomes Pub Date : 2026-09-01 Epub Date: 2026-06-23 DOI:10.1007/s40801-026-00561-x

Veera Nurmela, Anni Juntunen, Satu Tiainen, Janne Martikainen, Sanna Pasonen-Seppänen, Aino Rönkä

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Abstract

Background: Up to half of cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) develop immune-related adverse events (irAEs). However, the long-term consequences of irAEs remain poorly characterized.

Objective: This study investigated the likelihood of chronic irAEs, challenges related to their corticosteroid treatment and clinical workload associated with their management.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 230 patients who received ICIs at Kuopio University Hospital, Finland, between the years 2015 and 2024.

Results: IrAEs were chronic in 60.9% of patients who developed toxicities. Thyroiditis was the most common chronic AE (40%). Of the patients with irAE+, 42.9% were treated with systemic corticosteroids and steroid-related AEs were observed in 58% of them. Corticosteroid usage for ≥ 3 months was associated with an increased risk of steroid-related AEs (< 3 months 38.2% vs ≥ 3 months 78.8%, p < 0.001). An average of 5.3 contacts with a medical oncologist was needed for the management of an irAE, with the highest workload associated with hepatitis (10.0 contacts/irAE) and colitis (6.1 contacts/irAE).

Conclusions: The characterization of the long-term sequelae of irAEs and the associated clinical workload is crucial for proper patient education and clinical resource planning.

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癌症患者免疫检查点抑制剂（ICI）治疗毒性引起的长期后遗症和临床工作量

背景：在接受免疫检查点抑制剂（ICIs）治疗的癌症患者中，多达一半会发生免疫相关不良事件（irAEs）。然而，irae的长期后果仍不清楚。目的：本研究探讨慢性irAEs的可能性、与皮质类固醇治疗相关的挑战以及与治疗相关的临床工作量。方法：回顾性分析2015年至2024年在芬兰库奥皮奥大学医院接受ICIs治疗的230例患者。结果：发生毒性反应的患者中，60.9%为慢性irae。甲状腺炎是最常见的慢性AE（40%）。在irAE+患者中，42.9%的患者接受了全身皮质类固醇治疗，其中58%的患者观察到类固醇相关ae。皮质类固醇使用≥3个月与类固醇相关ae的风险增加相关(结论：ae的长期后遗症和相关临床工作量的特征对于适当的患者教育和临床资源规划至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Drugs - Real World Outcomes PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY-

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

5.00%

发文量

审稿时长

8 weeks

期刊介绍： Drugs - Real World Outcomes targets original research and definitive reviews regarding the use of real-world data to evaluate health outcomes and inform healthcare decision-making on drugs, devices and other interventions in clinical practice. The journal includes, but is not limited to, the following research areas: Using registries/databases/health records and other non-selected observational datasets to investigate: drug use and treatment outcomes prescription patterns drug safety signals adherence to treatment guidelines benefit : risk profiles comparative effectiveness economic analyses including cost-of-illness Data-driven research methodologies, including the capture, curation, search, sharing, analysis and interpretation of ‘big data’ Techniques and approaches to optimise real-world modelling.