Dr. Jedd Wolchok on Immunotherapy Toxicities

In an interview at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) meeting on Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy held in Princeton, NJ, Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, chief, of Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the toxicities associated with immunotherapy.

As immunotherapies expand into more and more cancer types, it is important for all oncologists to become more familiar with the toxicities associated with them, says Wolchok.

The side effects most oncologists are accustomed to, such as the lowering of blood count, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, are not often associated with immunotherapies. This is because immunotherapies do not impact cancer cells directly; instead, they target immune cells.

Inflammation of the skin, intestines, liver, kidney, and lungs, are more common side effects for patients on immunotherapy treatment, says Wolchok.

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