INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE: USCOM Algorithm for the Prevention and Management of Cutaneous Immunotherapy-Related Adverse Events

November 2023 | Volume 22 | Issue 11 | SF389716s4 | Copyright © November 2023


Published online October 31, 2023

Alana Deutsch MDa, Mario Lacouture MDb, Anneke Andriessen PhDc, Jennifer N Choi MDd, Alice Y Ho MDe, Beth N McLellan MDf, Edith Mitchell MDg, Jonathan S Leventhal MDa

aDepartment of Dermatology, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale, New Haven, CT
bDivision of Oncodermatology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
cRadboud UMC, Nijmegen and Andriessen Consultants, Malden, The Netherlands
dDepartment of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
eDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
fDepartment of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
gDepartment of Medical Oncology, Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, Philadelphia, PA

disruption or discontinuation, which is paramount to improved outcomes. Such treatment must be efficacious without adding additional harm; therefore, broad immunosuppression, including systemic corticosteroids, should be avoided when possible. 

For each cirAE, specific treatment approaches will be discussed, but gentle skin care should be reviewed with all patients. This includes gentle cleansing with soap and water as well as daily use of hydrating emollients such as lotions, creams, or ointments based on the extent of xerosis as well as personal preference. Hygiene and cleaning products should be fragrance-free, and patients should avoid introducing new products into their routines whenever possible. As with gentle skin care, recommendations regarding the decision to discontinue or interrupt immunotherapy are fairly standardized. Such consideration is taken in patients with grade 3 reactions, during which immunotherapy can be held while addressing the cirAE. This warrants consideration of same-day consultation with a dermatologist when assistance is desired. When the cutaneous reaction has been addressed, immunotherapy may be restarted