Retrospective study of onset and progression of atherosclerosis in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by accelerating atherosclerosis. However, it remains unclear whether this effect is applicable across various segments of the arterial system of whether is only influences pre-existing plaques or also contributes to the formation of new atherosclerotic lesions. A retrospective study at Erasmus MC (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) investigated onset and progression of atheroslerosis in melanoma patients receiving ICIs. The study found significant atherosclerotic plaque growth in all five examined aortic segments during ICI therapy. The majority of patients exhibited substantial plaque progression in at least one aortic segment. The number of atherosclerotic plaques remained relatively stable, which could indicate that ICIs particularly affect pre-existing plaques.