Cutaneous adverse events associated with PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatology
• Immunotherapy

Background:

• Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment increasingly involves programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors.
• Cutaneous adverse events (CAEs) are known side effects of immunotherapies.
• Understanding CAE incidence and characteristics is crucial for managing patients on PD-1 inhibitor therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency and nature of CAEs in NSCLC patients receiving PD-1 inhibitor-based treatments.
• To analyze CAE patterns across different PD-1 inhibitor treatment regimens.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 150 NSCLC patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors between February 2018 and September 2021.
• Regular patient follow-up to monitor for and document CAEs.
• Categorization of CAEs based on clinical presentation and treatment type.

Main Results:

• Over half of the patients (58.7%) experienced CAEs.
• The most common CAEs included reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation, maculopapular rash, and pruritus.
• CAE incidence varied by treatment: 50.0% for monotherapy, 67.0% for combination with chemotherapy, and 51.3% for combination with antiangiogenic/targeted therapy.

Conclusions:

• CAEs are common in patients with NSCLC undergoing PD-1 inhibitor therapy.
• Despite frequent occurrence, CAEs were generally well-tolerated.
• These findings support the continued use of PD-1 inhibitors in NSCLC management.