COVID-19 pneumonia and immune-related pneumonitis: critical issues on differential diagnosis, potential interactions, and management.
Expert Opin Biol Ther
; 20(9): 959-964, 2020 09.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-615438
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The COVID-19 pandemic occurred amid the cancer immunotherapy revolution. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the standard of care for several solid cancers and are associated with peculiar toxicities, including pneumonitis which has similar features to COVID-19 pneumonia. AREAS COVERED We summarize the main hallmarks of lung injury induced by ICIs and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and discuss the critical aspects for differential diagnosis and management. Symptoms and radiological findings are often similar; conversely, treatments are quite different. Furthermore, we focus on potential interactions generating hypotheses that need confirmatory studies. EXPERT OPINION All cancer patients treated with immunotherapy should receive screening for SARS-CoV-2. This would improve the diagnosis and management of pneumonia and guide therapeutic choices. Furthermore, clinicians could estimate the risk/benefit of continuing ICI treatment in COVID-19 positive patients. Temporary withdrawal of the immunotherapy treatment pending resolution of viral infection may be a reasonable option in long-responders patients.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Betacoronavirus
/
Immunotherapy
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Expert Opin Biol Ther
Journal subject:
Biology
/
Therapeutics
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
14712598.2020.1789097
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