AUTHOR=Torrente María , Blanco Mariola , Franco Fabio , Garitaonaindia Yago , Calvo Virginia , Collazo-Lorduy Ana , Gutiérrez Lourdes , Sánchez Juan Cristóbal , González-del-Alba Aranzazu , Hernández Roberto , Méndez Miriam , Cantos Blanca , Núñez Beatriz , Sousa Pedro A. C. , Provencio Mariano 

TITLE=Assessing the risk of cardiovascular events in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1062858

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2022.1062858

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment. However, despite their excellent therapeutic effect, these medications typically result in a broad spectrum of toxicity reactions. Immune-related cardiotoxicity is uncommon but can be potentially fatal, and its true incidence is underestimated in clinical trials. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence and identify risk factors for developing a cardiac event in patients treated with ICIs.
Methods: We conducted a single-institution retrospective study, including patients treated with ICIs in our centre. The main outcomes were cardiac events (CE) and cardiovascular death.  
Results: A total of 378 patients were analysed. The incidence of CE was 16.7%, during a median follow-up of 50.5 months. The multivariable analysis showed that age, a history of arrhythmia or ischemic heart disease, and prior immune-related adverse events were significantly associated with CE.  
Conclusions: CE during ICI treatment are more common than currently appreciated. A complete initial cardiovascular evaluation is recommended, especially in high-risk patients, being necessary a multidisciplinary approach of a specialized cardio-oncology team.