[shalvoy.1]

Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.
Kathy Adams will be our presenter for our January session.
I know we all appreciate her offering to lead this month.
This month’s topic continues our December discussion of management of treatment adverse events.
We will be discussing management of adverse events related to checkpoint inhibitors.
Here are the articles for this month:
A review of serious adverse effects under treatment with checkpoint inhibitors
Checkpoint Inhibitors Common immune-related adverse events and their management

I look forward to reading your thoughts on this topic.

• This topic was modified 2 weeks ago by shalvoy.1.
• This topic was modified 2 weeks ago by shalvoy.1.

[shalvoy.1]

Kathy Adam’s initial post:
1) What was the knowledge gained from the article?
I knew there was effects on the lungs and skin from checkpoint inhibitors, but I did not know it could affect the gastrointestinal tract, liver, heart, Neuro, and endocrine glands and even cause autoimmune side-effects like Guillain-Barre syndrome. You always think that it is the saver one. There are so many side effects I was not aware of. It made me more aware of symptoms I may not have otherwise related to the patient’s therapy. Knowing all the side effects will now make me more focused and escalate appropriately. Early detection seems to be the key as well as using corticosteroids or immunosuppressants to manage symptoms. Again, both articles mention that collaboration among healthcare providers will provide the best outcomes for patients. Also, it is mentioned that regular patient monitoring is critical to identifying early symptoms and minimize complications, which I believe we all know but every healthcare facility is stretched thin.
2) Will the research/information in this article change or influence your practice? If so, how?
Being more aware of all the different side effects will allow me to be more aware for earlier detection of adverse effects. After reading these articles I can educate patients about potential side effects enabling them to recognize symptoms early to seek medical treatment sooner.
3) What other questions does the articles raise about current practice?
Are patients being adequately informed about the risks of irAEs and taught to recognize symptoms early? Are there protocols in place for early detection and management of irAEs? Is there effective communication and coordination among oncologists, primary care providers, and specialist to manage IrAEs? Are there systems in place to monitor the long-term effects of checkpoint inhibitors and the potential chronic disease of some irAEs?
4) Do you agree/disagree with the conclusions of the author, why? I would have to agree with the conclusions as both articles advocate for monitoring and patient education, which are critical to improving safety and outcomes in immunotherapy. I have always been a strong patient advocate. I also feel the articles align with current guidelines.

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