Dr. Johnson on the Rationale for Examining Chronic irAEs Associated With Anti-PD-1 Therapy in Melanoma

Douglas B. Johnson, MD, an assistant professor of Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses the rationale for examining chronic immune-related adverse effects (irAEs) associated with anti–PD-1 therapy in patients with high-risk resected melanoma. 

While anti–PD-1 therapy is generally well tolerated and has yielded positive outcomes in this patient population, a subset of patients has been found to have chronic irAEs associated with this treatment approach, Johnson says. As such, a multicenter cohort study examining chronic irAEs following anti–PD-1 in patients with high-risk resected melanoma was conducted to better understand the frequency, spectrum, duration, and resolution rate of these chronic toxicities, Johnson explains. Investigators on the study compiled data from several academic institutions on patients who had at least 6 months of follow-up after receiving anti–PD-1 therapy. 

Results from the study demonstrated that 43.2% of patients reported chronic irAEs, defined as persisting beyond 12 weeks after therapy discontinuation, Johnson notes. These chronic irAEs were not necessarily permanent, but they did linger after completing anti–PD-1 therapy, Johnson concludes.