Immune-related musculoskeletal toxicities among cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review

AIM: Immune-related musculoskeletal toxicities are uncommon but potentially serious adverse events; and they may accompany the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The objective of this systematic review is to assess the patterns of these musculoskeletal toxicities. METHODS & RESULTS: PubMed database has been searched till May 2017. Clinical studies and case reports reporting the occurrence of immune-related musculoskeletal toxicities (other than arthralgia and myalgia) in cancer patients treated with ICIs were included. Eight trials with 2263 participants were included. Likewise, nine case reports reporting the outcomes of 12 patients were included. CONCLUSION: Immune-related arthritis and myositis occur uncommonly in cancer patients treated with ICIs. Further studies are required to better describe the pathogenesis as well as the time course of these events.