Impact of pericardial effusion for patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Abstract

e14121 Background: Various immune-related adverse events (IRAE) have been reported with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Although a rare event, the increasing incidence of ICI related myocarditis and its reported high mortality raises concern. Cardiovascular IRAE such as pericardial effusions (PE) have been documented in case reports and case series but their clinical significance is unclear. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed on 1075 patients receiving ICI between 2015 and 2017 with baseline echocardiograms without pericardial effusions and follow up echocardiograms at MD Anderson Cancer Center. We collected baseline characteristics, laboratory findings, echocardiograms, and dates of ICI initiation, PE development, last follow up and death. Overall survival (time from first ICI therapy to death or last follow up) was calculated. Univariate Fine-Gray regression analyses were conducted to identify variables associated with PE to account for death as a competing risk event. A p-value of less than 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results: After initiation of ICI, 78 patients (7.3%) developed PE of which 45 patients died (58%) compared to 347 deaths (35%) out of the 997 patients without PE. The median follow-up time was 445 days. Univariate Fine-Gray analyses predicting PE demonstrated lower body surface area, lowest nadir in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), higher troponin levels, lower platelet counts, absence of ectopy and hyperlipidemia, and lack of avelumab in therapy as well as a history of heart failure with preserved or reduced ejection fraction, hematologic cancer, and peripheral artery stents were significantly associated with higher incidence of PE. Conclusions: While the development of PE is an IRAE or progression of cancer itself cannot be determined, this study indicates patients receiving ICI who developed PE had higher mortality. Those with greater troponin levels and substantial decline in LVEF were shown to have a greater propensity of developing PE, suggesting the possibility of an underlying myopericarditis. If PE develops during ICI therapy, providers should consider an expedited workup and treatment of ICI related myocarditis.