Managing Immune Related Adverse Events to Ensure Optimal Cancer Immunotherapy Outcomes: The Nurse’s View

STATEMENT OF NEED
Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which alter immune regulatory pathways and promote cell-mediated destruction of tumor cells, have revolutionized the treatment of cancer in recent years, with numerous therapeutic agents approved and several targets under investigation (Chennamadhavuni et al, 2022). However, up to 90% of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors experience immune-related adverse events, which can affect a wide variety of organ systems and can occur at any time during treatment or even after treatment completion (NCCN, 2023). Immune-related adverse events are associated with significant morbidity as well as the risk of therapy discontinuation, which can have an unpredictable impact on patients’ disease course. Therefore, it is critical for nurses to understand the mechanism, identification, and timely management of immune-related adverse events (Shankar et al, 2022). In this symposium to be presented at the Greater Los Angeles Oncology Nursing Society (GLAONS) 7th Annual Oncology Care Summit, Blanca Ledezma, MSN, NP, AOCNP®, Nurse Practitioner at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health, will provide insight into the nurse’s view on managing immune-related adverse events to ensure optimal cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and other health care professionals involved in the management of patients with immune-related adverse events (IRAEs).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

-Discuss how the mechanisms of action of immunotherapies influence their safety profile
-Identify risk factors predisposing patients to IRAEs
-Distinguish IRAEs from chemotherapy- and targeted therapy-related adverse events
-Coordinate with the interdisciplinary health care team to apply evidence-based guidelines and best practices in personalized nursing management plans for patients with IRAEs
-Develop patient counseling strategies promoting awareness, self-monitoring, and escalated reporting of IRAEs