Rheumatic Complications of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Nilasha Ghosh; Anne R Bass

doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2020.09.009

Rheumatic Complications of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Med Clin North Am. 2021 Mar;105(2):227-245. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2020.09.009.

Authors

Nilasha Ghosh¹, Anne R Bass²

Affiliations

¹ Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
² Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: bassA@hss.edu.

PMID: 33589099
DOI: 10.1016/j.mcna.2020.09.009

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors activate the immune system to combat cancer. In doing so, however, they can cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including rheumatic syndromes, such as inflammatory arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, and myositis. This article reviews rheumatic irAEs that may be encountered in the general medicine practice and provides guidance to support prompt recognition, referral, and treatment of these patients.

Keywords: Cancer; Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Immune-related adverse events; Myositis; Polymyalgia rheumatica; Rheumatoid arthritis.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Antineoplastic Agents / immunology
Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
Humans
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors* / immunology
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors* / pharmacology
Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Rheumatic Diseases* / chemically induced
Rheumatic Diseases* / immunology
Rheumatic Diseases* / therapy

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors