Abstract
Some patients with cancer treated with programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors experience immune-related severe adverse events (ir-SAEs), however, predictors are limited. The objective was to identify clinicopathologic features that may be associated with a higher ir-SAE risk. This was a nested case-control study. After screening a total of 832 PD-1 inhibitor-treated patients, we identified 42 ir-SAE cases. According to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0, ir-SAEs were defined as grade ≥3 toxic effects associated with immunotherapy. A total of 126 controls were matched. The crude and adjusted risks of ir-SAEs were estimated by odds ratio (ORs) and 95% CIs using multivariate logistic regression models. Baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) [per SD increment-adjusted (aOR): 1.16], lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ≥245 U/L (aOR: 2.39), and antibiotic exposure (aOR: 4.39) were associated with a higher risk of ir-SAEs. When NLR was categorized in 3 groups, significantly higher risks of ir-SAEs (aOR: 4.95) were found in participants in group 3 (>6) than in those in group 1 (<3). Furthermore, NLR (per SD increment-adjusted hazard ratio:1.08) were also significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS). Baseline LDH ≥245 U/L and antibiotic exposure were no significant association with OS. In conclusion, ir-SAEs were associated between baseline NLR, LDH ≥245 U/L and antibiotic exposure. Lower NLR was correlated with longer OS for cancer.