Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is a relatively new treatment for certain cancers which result in immune system-mediated destruction of tumor cells.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors act through a unique mechanism of action when compared with those of conventional chemotherapeutic agents. They can be distinguished based on their target cell surface receptors 1, 2:
- cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4): ipilimumab
- programmed cell death protein 1 (PD- 1): nivolumab, pembrolizumab, cemiplimab
- programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1): durvalumab, atezolimumab, avelumab
Complications
- immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy-related pneumonitis
- immune-related endocrinopathies
- sarcoid-like lymphadenopathy and granulomatosis
- colitis
- hepatitis
- hyperprogression, an atypical response of paradoxical accelerated growth of tumor