Dr. Michael Lim on Toxicities of Checkpoint Inhibitors

Michael Lim, MD, director of Brain Tumor Immunotherapy, associate professor of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses toxicities associated with checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Checkpoint inhibitors have the potential to improve quality of life and tumor control for patients with glioblastoma, says Lim.

However, because checkpoint inhibitors release the breaks on the immune system they can induce autoimmune disorders. The two most concerning disorders that can result from the use of checkpoint inhibitors are colitis and nemunaitis, which can both be life threatening, says Lim.

To avoid serious complications from checkpoint inhibitors, oncologists need to monitor patients closely and act early, says Lim.