Researchers found that the most prevalent adverse effect linked to immune checkpoint inhibitors was inflammatory arthritis, and although most patients received long courses of immune suppression, few required checkpoint inhibitor discontinuation, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

“Since the introduction of ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) for metastatic melanoma in 2011, the use of these medications has rapidly expanded to include other malignancies,” Michael D. Richter, MD, of the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, and colleagues wrote. “As of 2018, there are at least 1,100 ongoing cancer clinical trials involving [immune checkpoint inhibitors] and at least 2,000 trials under development. Rheumatologists are increasingly involved in managing the autoimmune side-effects of [immune checkpoint inhibitors], collectively termed immune-related adverse effects.”