Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

A Melanoma Patient-Derived Xenograft Model
Published on: May 20, 2019
A large scale meta analysis identifies common adverse events with checkpoint inhibitors vs chemotherapy in melanoma
Ruyi Zhang1, Xuehui Li1, Zhiyu You1
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, China.
Background:
A meta-analysis was performed to assess the risk of common adverse events in melanoma patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors.
Methods:
Eligible studies were downloaded from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases based on an established strategy. Review manager version 5.3 was used to analyze data.
Results:
After exclusion of ineligible studies, six studies were finally included in the meta-analysis, which comprised of 2136 patients in intervention group and 1773 patients in control group. There was a difference in low grade risk of pruritus (OR 5.63, 95% CI 2.92-10.85, P < 0.00001), diarrhea/colitis (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.09-2.09, P = 0.01), but not fatigue (low grade, OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.72-1.29, P = 0.80; high grade, OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.23-2.24, P = 0.57) and some high grade risk between the intervention group and control group. Subgroups analysis revealed that low grade risk of pruritus (OR 8.17, 95% CI 4.29-15.55, P < 0.00001) and high grade risk of pruritus (OR 7.08, 95% CI 1.25-40.09, P = 0.03) were significantly different between patients treated with chemotherapy and those treated with checkpoint inhibitors. But fatigue and diarrhea/colitis were not different between the two groups.
Conclusion:
Checkpoint inhibitors are associated with a higher risk in some side effects than chemotherapy in melanoma patients. Therefore, strategies that reduce the risk of adverse events in patients taking checkpoint inhibitors should be developed.
Related Concept Videos
The Spindle Assembly Checkpoint
Many proteins function together to control the spindle assembly checkpoint. Mutations affecting these proteins may allow cells to proceed into anaphase prematurely, resulting in the...
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a...
Common Ion Effect
pH Scale
Directing Effect of Substituents: meta-Directing Groups
Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects
Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, local anesthetics can affect the organs that depend on the functioning of sodium...

