A meta-analysis of the risk of pneumonitis associated with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients has been conducted.

Eligible publications included randomized trials of cancer patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors, describing events of all-grade and high-grade pneumonitis.

After exclusion of noneligible citations, a total of 11 clinical trials were eligible for the meta-analysis. The odds ratio was 3.96 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.02–7.79; p < 0.0001] for all-grade pneumonitis and 2.87 (95% CI: 0.90–9.20; p = 0.08) for high-grade pneumonitis. Moreover, the odds ratio of all-grade pneumonitis with a nivolumab/ipilimumab combination versus ipilimumab monotherapy was 3.68 (95% CI: 1.59–8.50; p = 0.002) and, for high-grade pneumonitis, it was 1.86(95% CI: 0.36–9.53; p = 0.46). Subgroup analysis did not reveal a difference between lung cancer patients and other cancer patients in the risk of pneumonitis.

Our analysis provided evidence that the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors is associated with an increased risk of all-grade pneumonitis compared with chemotherapy or placebo controls.