Serious immune‐related adverse events in patients with head and neck cancer after checkpoint blockade: Systematic review

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors confer significant clinical benefit by bolstering immune‐system activity, however, they also produce a spectrum of immune‐related adverse events (irAEs). Rapid recognition and timely treatment of these patients is essential for improved outcomes. Methods We conducted a systematic review of English‐language articles in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases on patients with head and neck cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors who developed treatment‐related adverse events. Results Of 1715 unique citations, 11 studies met inclusion criteria. Eight patients with serious irAEs were reported from case reports and case series. Overall, 46 treatment‐related AEs were identified from the pooled 791 patients with at least 12 having potential relevance to irAEs. The most frequent AEs observed in patients receiving PD‐1 inhibitors involved the endocrine, cutaneous, and gastrointestinal systems. Conclusions Characterizing irAEs in longitudinal studies is needed for developing strategies for their prompt recognition and management.