Ocular side effects of modern oncological therapy : Immunological checkpoint and MEK/BRAF signal transduction inhibitors

Abstract

In recent years, checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of previously untreatable malignant tumors, significantly improving the life expectancy as well as quality of life in many cases. Checkpoint inhibitors comprise agroup of drugs with different mechanisms of action. These include immunological checkpoint inhibitors (iCPI) and intracellular signal transduction inhibitors; however, both substance classes can cause inflammatory or toxic ocular side effects. The frequency of intraocular inflammation (uveitis) is reported to be ca. 1-2%, toxic side effects were observed in up to more than 50% of the patients treated with signal transduction inhibitors. In the following article the main mechanisms of these forms of treatment are characterized. Furthermore, this article presents the currently most frequently used therapeutic agents and their typical ophthalmological side effects to increase awareness and to draw attention to these still rare but increasingly more frequent findings.