Cutaneous immune-related adverse events among Taiwanese cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors link to a survival benefit

Abstract

Cutaneous immune-related adverse events are common in cancer patients receiving immunotherapies but seldom studied in a comprehensive way of collecting all cancer types with comparisons between different immune-oncology drugs and correlation to patient survival. In this retrospective cohort study, we recruited 468 cancer patients receiving immunotherapies in a tertiary referral center in Taiwan and try to determine real-world incidence of cutaneous immune-related adverse events and their associations with the survival rates. Among them, 128 patients (27.4%) had cutaneous immune-related adverse events, with maculopapular eruption (10.6%) and pruritus (10.1%) most frequently identified in the monotherapy group. The incidence of these cutaneous immune-related adverse events was highest in patients receiving pembrolizumab (34.1%, P < .0001). Concurrent usage of molecular-targeted therapy with immunotherapy was associated with a higher incidence (57.8%, P < .0001). The Kaplan-Meier plot and log-rank test showed that patients with any type of immune-related cutaneous adverse events had longer survival time than those without (P < .0001). In conclusion, having either type of cutaneous immune-related adverse event in cancer patients receiving immunotherapies was correlated with a longer overall survival. Prompt diagnosis and suitable treatment are important.