Incidence of cardiovascular events in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

Dr. Dorien Laenens

In rare cases, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) cause immune-mediated myocarditis. The true incidence of other major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) after ICI treatment is unknown, mainly because late occurring side effects are rarely reported in prospective clinical trial. A study in Belgium found that in real-world patients treated with ICIs for cancer the incidence of MACE was 10.3% during median 13 (IQR 6-22) months follow-up; higher than in the group of not-ICI treated cancer patients and among population controls. History of heart failure or valvular heart disease increased the MACE vulnerability of ICI treated patients.