Dr. Lopes Discusses Steroid Side Effects in Lung Cancer Management

Gilberto Lopes Jr, MD, a medical director for International Programs at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, discusses steroid side effects in lung cancer management.

The use of immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors, often result in immune-related side effects. Once a patient is on steroids to treat autoimmune side effects from immunotherapy, Lopes says that physicians should be prepared to treat side effects from the steroids. For example, patients can develop pneumonitis after receiving a checkpoint inhibitor.

Lopes says that at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, he tends to give patients PCP prophylaxis to avoid the development of pneumocystis pneumonia in patients who are on steroids for a prolonged period of time.