Dr. Wei on Immune-Related Adverse Events in GU Cancers

Xiao X. Wei, MD, MAS, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses immune-related adverse events (irAE) in genitourinary (GU) cancers.

PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are generally well tolerated in patients with GU cancers. Wei says clinicians do need to be on the lookout for irAEs, as it is not fully understood who experiences them or why. The faster that an irAE is treated, the better the outcome, Wei adds. The common organs that are effected by irAEs are the skin, gastrointestinal tract, liver, and the endocrine system.

There is no prospective data or high-level evidence to suggest how to treat irAEs, but ASCO, NCCN, and ESMO have all released guidelines regarding the management of patients who experience these events within the last few years. Clinicians should refer to these guidelines when managing patients on immunotherapy.