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. 2021 Sep 29;13(19):4883. doi: 10.3390/cancers13194883

Table 5.

Immune-mediated adverse effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Organ Occurrence with PD-(L)1 Inhibitors Symptoms
Brain Encephalitis < 1%
Aseptic meningitis < 0.5%
Headache, changes in mental status, confusion, depressed mood, sensitivity to light, seizures, motor or sensory disturbances, meningitis, neck stiffness.
Nerves Guillain- Barré
Syndrome < 0.5%
Peripheral neuropathy 16%
Muscle weakness (including eye muscles), fatigue, difficulty swallowing, paresthesia or altered sensory perception, ascending or progressive paralysis, weakness of respiratory muscles.
Skin Rash 10%
Pruritus 15% [93]
Persistent and/or severe skin rash or itching
Thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, islets of Langerhans of the pancreas Hypothyroidism 8%
Hyperthroidism 5%
Adrenal insufficiency 1%
Hypophysitis 1%
Diabetes mellitus 1%
Fatigue, headache, changes in mental status, intolerance to heat or cold, tachycardia or bradycardia, irregularity in bowel movements, weight change, polyuria or polydipsia, blurred vision.
Lung Pneumonitis 4% Difficulty breathing or coughing, radiographic changes (e.g., focal morning opacity, patchy, patchy infiltrates), dyspnea, hypoxia
Liver Hepatitis 5% Increase in transaminases, increase in total bilirubin, jaundice, right-sided abdominal pain, fatigue.
Pancreas Pancreatitis 3% Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever
Intestine Diarrhea/colitis 11% Watery, soft, or liquid stools; diarrhea; abdominal pain; mucus or blood in the stool.