Dr. Leora Horn on Toxicities With Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer

Leora Horn, MD, associate professor of medicine (hematology and oncology), assistant director, educator development program, clinical director, Thoracic Oncology Program, medical oncologist, Vanderbilt-Ingram Center Center, discusses adverse event considerations for immunotherapy in lung cancer.

It still needs to be determined how different patients respond to immunotherapies, says Horn. PD-1 status does not seem to have an impact on adverse events. There also does not seem to be an association between adverse events and prior therapies. There has however, been more adverse events when agents have been combined, says Horn.

With chemotherapy, adverse events go away when the treatment is stopped. However, with immunotherapy the adverse events continue after the treatment is discontinued.