Treatment-related Death in Cancer Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Analysis of our data showed that CTLA-4 inhibitors (ipilimumab and tremelimumab) in a higher dose (10 mg/kg) seem to be associated with a higher risk of treatment-related death compared with control regimens, whereas PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (nivolumab, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab) do not cause the same risk. Clinicians have to be fully aware of these differential risks and council their patients appropriately.