Association of Cutaneous Immune-related Adverse Events with Overall Survival and Progression-free Survival in Oncology Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Prospective Study of 189 Patients in a Spanish Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Cutaneous immune-related adverse events (cirAEs) may be associated with tumoral response and survival in patients using immune checkpoint inhibitors, but this relationship remains unclear because previous reports on the topic have various limitations. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of cirAEs with overall survival and progression-free survival in patients starting immune checkpoint inhibitors. A prospective observational study was conducted in a Spanish tertiary care hospital, including participants between March 2020 and May 2022. The statistical analysis involved the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. At total of 189 patients were included, of whom 82 (43.4%) presented cirAEs. Most participants (56.6%) were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Mortality and progression rates were lower in patients with vs without cirAEs (p < 0.0001). Cox models showed that cirAEs were a protective factor for overall survival (adjusted HR 0.50; p < 0.0001) and progression-free survival (adjusted HR 0.54; p = 0.001) independently of cancer type, tumour stage or immune checkpoint inhibitor category. There were similar results for extracutaneous irAEs. A limitation was the single-centre design. CirAE occurrence is positively associated with longer survival and less cancer progression among immune checkpoint inhibitor recipients independently of other factors.