The first consensus recommendations on recognition and clinical management of immune-related side-effects from cancer immunotherapy were published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). The article titled, "Managing toxicities associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: Consensus recommendations from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Toxicity Management Working Group," is a key step toward ensuring patients with cancer receive the highest quality of care.

One widely used class of agents, checkpoint inhibitors, works by ‘taking the brakes off’ the immune system, allowing cancer cells to be targeted for destruction. Clinical trials have shown that checkpoint inhibitors are highly effective, providing long-term benefit with generally manageable side-effects. However, patterns are emerging that suggest that checkpoint inhibitors may cause unwanted effects in a number of organ systems.

When caught early, most side-effects are mild and can be treated with drugs that temporarily suppress the immune system. Experts are therefore focused on ensuring that clinicians recognize and know how to manage these emerging side-effects so patients can continue to take advantage of the unquestionable benefits of immunotherapy.

As the leading professional society in the field, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) established a multidisciplinary expert group to address this unmet need. Medical oncologists, surgeons, disease specialists, scientists, pharmacists, nurses, and others with relevant expertise convened to develop guidance on managing adverse effects from checkpoint inhibitors. Describing the urgent need, medical oncologist Igor Puzanov, MD, MSCI, FACP (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, NY), one of four co-leads, explained, “New immunotherapy agents are being approved at a rapid pace. We’re excited that patients have new treatment options but many of these agents have side-effects we haven’t seen before. We’re seeing effects on the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems, joints, heart and other organs, and some of these are only just beginning to be described. Clinicians need guidance on how to recognize early signs, how to treat adverse effects, and when to refer to a disease specialist.”

Leading the SITC initiative, Igor Puzanov and Marc Ernstoff, MD (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, NY), Howard L. Kaufman, MD, FACS (Massachusetts General Hospital, MA) and Adi Diab, MD (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, TX) made it a priority to align recommendations across organizations.