Dr. Agarwal on Toxicities With Checkpoint Inhibitors in RCC

Neeraj Agarwal, associate professor in the Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, director of the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program, Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, discusses some of the adverse events (AEs) associated with checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Some of the most common side effects related to immunotherapy agents are fatigue, thyroid disfunction, renal insufficiency, and gastrointestinal side effects such has diarrhea. However, this can be severe and lead to colitis, Agarwal explains.

Agarwal says that nearly every organ can be negatively affected by these therapies. In a New England Journal of Medicine article, researchers documented cases of myocarditis with ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with melanoma.