Understanding Immunotherapy's Side Effects

As the use of immunotherapy continues to grow, not only in the lung cancer space, but across numerous cancer types, it is crucial that patients and caregivers understand the potential side effects that these agents might cause, said Jarushka Naidoo, MBBCh, assistant professor of oncology and attending physician at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University.

While there are some concerns about the potential side effects that a patient can experience on immunotherapy agents such as PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors, Naidoo also emphasized that these therapies are typically much better tolerated compared to other traditional cancer treatment modalities like chemotherapy. However, it is important for patients and caregivers to understand that these side effects may generally occur or are a direct result of immunotherapy treatment.