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. 2021 Dec 23;14(1):49.
doi: 10.3390/cancers14010049.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment and Ophthalmologist Consultations in Patients with Malignant Melanoma or Lung Cancer-A Nationwide Cohort Study

Maria D'Souza  1   2 , Mette Bagger  1 , Mark Alberti  1 , Morten Malmborg  2   3 , Morten Schou  2   4 , Christian Torp-Pedersen  5   6   7 , Gunnar Gislason  2   3   4 , Inge Marie Svane  4   8 , Jens Folke Kiilgaard  1   4
Affiliations

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment and Ophthalmologist Consultations in Patients with Malignant Melanoma or Lung Cancer-A Nationwide Cohort Study

Maria D'Souza et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Purpose: To estimate the frequency of first-time ocular events in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).

Methods: Patients with cancer in 2011-2018 in Denmark were included and followed. The outcomes were first-time ophthalmologist consultation and ocular inflammation. One-year absolute risks of outcomes and hazard ratios were estimated.

Results: 112,289 patients with cancer were included, and 2195 were treated with ICI. One year after the first ICI treatment, 6% of the patients with cancer, 5% and 8% of the lung cancer (LC) and malignant cutaneous melanoma (MM) patients, respectively, had a first-time ophthalmologist consultation. The risk of ocular inflammation was 1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4-1.2). Among patients with MM, ICI was associated with ocular inflammation in women (HR 12.6 (95% CI 5.83-27.31) and men (4.87 (95% CI 1.79-13.29)). Comparing patients with and without ICI treatment, the risk of first-time ophthalmologist consultation was increased in patients with LC (HR 1.74 (95% CI 1.29-2.34) and MM (HR 3.21 (95% CI 2.31-4.44).

Conclusions: The one-year risks of first-time ophthalmologist consultation and ocular inflammation were 6% and 1%, respectively, in patients treated with ICI. In patients with LC and MM, the risk was increased in patients with ICI compared with patients without ICI.

Keywords: epidemiology; immune checkpoint inhibitors; lung cancer; malignant melanoma; ocular inflammation; one-year risk; uveitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inclusion of the study population.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Absolute one-year risk of first-time ophthalmologist consultation in patients treated with ICI. (b) Absolute one-year risk of first-time ocular inflammation in patients treated with ICI.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hazard ratios comparing risk of first-time ophthalmologist consultation and ocular inflammation comparing patients with and without ICI therapy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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