Association of timing of corticosteroid initiation with efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic cancers

A retrospective study at Ochsner Medical Center (New Orleans, LA) investigated the association between timing of corticosteroid (CS) initiation and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for metastatic cancers. Patients who started CS 2 months or later after start of ICI had significantly longer progression-free survival and overall survival compared with patients starting CS within 2 months of ICI initiation. The authors conclude that these results suggest that early use of CS during ICI treatment hinders efficacy, a conclusion that should be validated prospectively.