Profiling immune check point inhibitors - Induced arthritis: A systematic review and pooled analyses of cohort studies.
Francesco Natalucci, Claudia Ciancarella, Laurent Meric de Bellefon et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review and pooled analysis of cohort studies characterized immune checkpoint inhibitor–induced arthritis (ICIs-IA) in patients treated for cancer. Across 37 studies involving 882 patients, arthritis onset was estimated at 17.5 weeks after treatment initiation (95% CI 13.7–21.2). Polyarthritis was the most common pattern, affecting 63.9%; 64.5% of patients also experienced other immune-related adverse events. The review describes a heterogeneous clinical presentation and treatment patterns, while noting the absence of standardized diagnostic criteria.
Key findings
- Pooled time to ICIs-IA onset was 17.5 weeks after treatment initiation (95% CI 13.7–21.2), with reported estimates ranging from 4.3 to 39.0 weeks.
- Polyarthritis occurred in 63.9% of patients, compared with oligoarthritis in 29.9% and monoarthritis in 6.2%.
- Other immune-related adverse events accompanied ICIs-IA in 64.5% of patients.
- Glucocorticoids were used in 67.9% of patients, conventional synthetic DMARDs in 33.2%, and biological DMARDs in 11.0%.
Why it matters
The pooled description highlights that arthritis associated with checkpoint inhibitors often presents as polyarthritis and may occur alongside other immune-related adverse events. Awareness of its timing and varied phenotype can support recognition and assessment in patients receiving these therapies. The low proportion meeting established inflammatory arthritis or connective tissue disease classification criteria also underscores diagnostic uncertainty.
What to keep in mind
The review pooled cohort studies, and the authors note that ICIs-IA remains heterogeneous and lacks standardized diagnostic criteria.