Survivorship outcomes in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a central part of cancer care. However, the survivorship outcomes in patients treated with ICIs are understudied. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review to evaluate the current status of the field and to establish research gaps regarding survivorship outcomes with ICIs in real-life cohorts. Methods: We used the Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase databases to systematically filter published studies with real-life cohorts from January 1, 2010, until October 19, 2022. Studies evaluating at least one survivorship outcome in ICI-treated patients were included. Results: A total of 39 papers were included. Quality of life (QoL) (n = 23), toxicity burden (n = 16), and psychosocial issues (n = 9) were the most frequently evaluated survivorship outcomes. Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy and a response to treatment were associated with better QoL. In addition, the ICIs were associated with grade 3 or higher immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in 10–15% and late/long-term irAEs in 20–30% of the survivors. Regarding psychosocial problems, over 30% of survivors showed evidence of anxiety and depression, and 30–40% of survivors reported neurocognitive impairments. Conclusion: The survivors treated with ICIs have impairments in most survivorship domains. Further research is needed to gather data on the understudied survivorship outcomes like late and long-term effects, fertility, financial toxicity, and return to work in survivors treated with ICIs. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Available evidence demonstrates that a significant portion of survivors treated with ICIs have a significant toxicity burden, lower QoL than the general population, and a high rate of psychosocial problems.