AUTHOR=Tajiri Kazuko , Ieda Masaki TITLE=Cardiac Complications in Immune Checkpoint Inhibition Therapy JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine VOLUME=6 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2019.00003 DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2019.00003 ISSN=2297-055X ABSTRACT=

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have changed the treatment landscape of advanced cancers. Unfortunately, these agents can induce a wide spectrum of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) through activation of immune responses in non-target organs, including the heart. As the clinical use of ICI therapy increases rapidly, management of irAEs is becoming extremely important. The most commonly presented cardiac irAE is myocarditis. Histopathologically, T-cell (with a predominance of CD8+ cells) and macrophage infiltration in the myocardium is typically observed in ICI-associated myocarditis. Other presentations of cardiac irAEs include congestive heart failure, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, pericardial disease, arrhythmias, and conduction disease. Although cardiac irAEs are relatively rare, they can be life-threatening. Hence, cardiologists and oncologists should be vigilant for these presentations.