Real-world experience with pembrolizumab toxicities in advanced melanoma patients: a single-center experience in the UK.

Aim: We aimed to characterize the safety profile of pembrolizumab in advanced melanoma patients at our center to better reflect 'real-world' data on anti-PD-1 inhibitors.

Materials & Methods: At our institution, 58 ipilimumab-naive and 30 ipilimumab-treated patients with advanced melanoma who have received pembrolizumab between June 2014 and June 2017 were included for analysis.

Results: Incidence of any-grade and grade 3/4 toxicities were 81.

Managing side effects of cancer immunotherapy for the acute physician.

Immunotherapy is a novel type of anti-cancer treatment that works by upregulating the host's immune system to fight against cancer cells. Landmark immunotherapy trials have demonstrated improvements in response rates and survival compared to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Specific immunotherapies known as checkpoint inhibitors are now routinely used in a range of cancers including melanoma, lung, renal and urological cancers.