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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1443463
This article is part of the Research Topic Genetics and Mechanisms of Neurodevelopmental Disorders View all articles

Clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of Atezolizumabinduced encephalitis, aseptic meningitis or meningoencephalitis

Provisionally accepted
Qingzi Yan Qingzi Yan Yixiang Hu Yixiang Hu *Xiang Liu Xiang Liu *Hong Xia Hong Xia *
  • Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment and expanded the range of tumor indications. However, as the usage of this medication has increased, related adverse events are increasingly being identified. Among these, Atezolizumab-induced encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, and meningoencephalitis remain poorly understood regarding clinical features. This study provides a comprehensive reference for classifying, identifying, and managing Atezolizumabassociated neurological adverse events, specifically encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, and meningoencephalitis.Methods: This study systematically collected published case reports from public databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang Database, and CNKI Database.Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts and then extracted data in the included article according to the designed table and analyzed the clinical characteristics of Atezolizumab-induced encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, or meningoencephalitis.Results: A total of 17 articles were included, with 19 patients diagnosed with encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, or meningoencephalitis after Atezolizumab treatment.The most common presenting symptoms included fever, altered consciousness, fatigue, somnolence, and seizures. Diagnosis was primarily based on cerebrospinal fluid analysis, blood tests, and imaging studies, such as computed tomography (CT) scans.Treatment strategies typically involved systemic steroids, antiviral agents, antibiotics, and anti-epileptic medications, as appropriate.Conclusions: Neurological immune-related adverse events may rapidly progress and impact prognosis. Therefore, clinical practitioners should have a deep understanding of these neurological immune-related adverse events, promptly diagnose them, and provide accurate and timely treatment.

    Keywords: atezolizumab, PD-L1, Encephalitis, Immune checkpoint inhibitor, Aseptic meningitis, Meningoencephalitis

    Received: 12 Jun 2024; Accepted: 15 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Yan, Hu, Liu and Xia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yixiang Hu, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, China
    Xiang Liu, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, China
    Hong Xia, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.