Dr. Borghaei on Reporting Immunotherapy-Related AEs in Lung Cancer

Hossein Borghaei, DO, chief, Division of Thoracic Medical Oncology, director, Lung Cancer Risk Assessment, associate professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses how physicians can help patients with lung cancer feel more comfortable reporting adverse events (AEs) associated with immunotherapy.

This is always a difficult discussion because some patients are fearful that if they report side effects from their immunotherapy, that the drug, or any treatment, will be discontinued. However, he explains, patients should understand that this is not necessarily the case. There are other potential agents available or other clinical trials they could possibly enroll on, if the AEs cannot be managed.

It is important to emphasize that if some of the side effects are managed quickly, patients could potentially be challenged to be treated with the immunotherapy again. However, if these toxicities are not reported, they can be associated with very serious side effects, Borghaei says.