Patterns of immune-related adverse events in patients treated for various cancer types with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

[AIMS] To investigate the association between primary cancer type and the tissues affected by immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

[PATIENTS & METHODS] A retrospective chart review was conducted on 241 patients representing 262 treatment lines involving ICIs at a single institution.

[RESULTS] No significant association was found between cancer type and tissue-specific irAEs. irAE incidence was higher with combination PD-1/CTLA-4 inhibitors vs. PD-1 inhibitors alone (61% vs. 46%,  = 0.042). Median time to first irAE was 7.88 months for PD-1 monotherapy versus 2.30 months for combination therapy (log-rank p = 0.00011), a difference of 5.58 months.

[CONCLUSIONS] Primary cancer type was not significantly associated with tissue-specific irAEs in ICI-treated patients. The 5.58-month difference in median time to irAE onset has important implications for monitoring protocols. Further research is needed to identify factors predicting irAE patterns and severity.