Uveitis in Tumor Patients Treated with Immunological Checkpoint- and Signal Transduction Pathway-Inhibitors

ABSTRACT

Purpose

New tumor therapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors and small molecule inhibitors of MEK and BRAF have increased the patient’s survival rate but can be burdened with severe side-effects including uveitis. Here, we show the spectrum, treatment, and outcome of uveitis types induced by tumor treatment.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we have included 54 patients from different centers who were developing uveitis under tumor therapy. A 16-item questionnaire was analyzed for type, treatment, and outcome of uveitis and type of tumor treatment, which we have correlated here.

Results

Irrespective of the tumor treatment, most patients developed anterior uveitis. All patients received corticosteroids and some additional immunosuppressive treatments. Cessation of tumor therapy was necessary only in a minority of cases.

Conclusions

Ocular autoimmunity should be differentiated from toxic effects of cancer treatment and timely recognized since it can be generally well controlled by anti-inflammatory treatment, preserving the patient’s vision without cessation of the tumor treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Immune checkpoint inhibitors
• MEK inhibitor
• BRAF inhibitor
• autoimmune disease
• uveitis
• ocular inflammation
• eye

Acknowledgments

We thank Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Anschütz for his support with the patient’s databases.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

There was no funding for this study and none of the authors have to disclose any financial support or conflict of interest.