Evaluation of Vascular Toxicity of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab, Atezolizumab) in Patients Head and Neck or Lung Cancer

Since the introduction of immune checkpoint ihibitors (ICIs) in cancer treatment, numerous studies have investigated different patient profiles to identify those who benefit from this class of drugs. Currently, hundreds of studies are being conducted with the aim of increasing the benefit of these therapies by combining ICIs with other treatments: immunomodulators, cytotoxics, targeted therapies, including cancer vaccines, which are peptides or RNA injected to trigger or increase a specific immune response against the tumor. Other approaches exist, such as oncology-specific "basket" studies, to focus on a genetic mutation independently of tumor location and determine whether a drug could treat the same genetic mutation found in several different locations. To date, ICIs are part of standard management in the US for patients with several diseases: advanced melanoma, NSCLC, Merkel cell carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, urothelial and renal cell carcinoma, cancers characterized by microsatellite instability, refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer. In addition, trials are underway to investigate the benefit of ICIs in other locations.

Thus, taking into account the growing importance of ICIs in the oncological therapeutic strategy and the large number of patients treated, a better understanding of the vascular impact of these drugs is necessary.