Published online Feb 26, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i6.1787
Peer-review started: June 1, 2021
First decision: July 14, 2021
Revised: July 19, 2021
Accepted: January 11, 2022
Article in press: January 11, 2022
Published online: February 26, 2022
Colitis and diarrhea are immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy.
The risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exacerbation following ICI treatment of malignancy in these patients is poorly understood.
We aimed to understand clinical characteristics of IBD patients treated with ICIs for malignancy and their clinical outcomes.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all IBD patients treated with ICIs for malignancy and Stanford Healthcare.
The prevalence of IBD exacerbation amongst patients treated with ICI therapy for malignancy was 36.8%. Individuals with exacerbation of pre-existing IBD had more gastrointestinal-related hospitalizations.
IBD exacerbation amongst patients treated with ICIs for malignancy was higher than reported rates of colitis and diarrhea in the general population treated with ICIs for malignancy.
IBD patients are vulnerable to disease exacerbation when treated with ICIs for malignancy, and close monitoring should be implemented. Further studies will aim to better understand what factors modulate risk of IBD exacerbation in patients following ICI administration.