Mitigating Cardiotoxicity Resulting from Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy
Source: Targeted Oncology, July 2023
In season 4, episode 9 of Targeted Talks, Kerry Reynolds, MD, clinical director, inpatient oncology units, director, Severe Immunotherapy Complications Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the occurrence of myocarditis in patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
According to Reynolds, ICIs are used for the treatment of more than 20 forms of cancer and very effective. However, approximately 1.0% to 1.23% of patients will develop myocarditis. Reynolds explains that myocarditis is a severe adverse event (AE), and it is important to collect evidence on this AE and develop an agent to treat it.
Reynolds and fellow investigators looked at the immunomodulating agent, abatacept (Orencia), for the treatment of ICI-associated myocarditis in a phase 3, investigator-initiated, randomized, placebo-controlled study (ATRIUM; NCT05335928). The trial in progress seeks to confirm that abatacept could lessen the risk of cardiac immune activation and improve survival, as demonstrated preclinically. Reynolds presented the study design during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.