Immune-Related Neurological Toxicities of PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Systematic assessment of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor-related neurological toxicities is important for guiding anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to reveal the relationship between PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and neurological toxicities among cancer patients.

Methods: Clinical trials investigating PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in cancer patients were identified by a systematic search of PubMed. The random-effect model was used to synthesize individual studies. Neurological toxicities, including all-grades and grades 3-5, were taken into account for the final comprehensive meta-analysis. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of included trials.

Results: Thirty-one clinical trials containing data of neurological toxicities were included. Compared with chemotherapy, the risk of all-grade neurological toxicities caused by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors was much lower in terms of peripheral neuropathy [OR = 0.07, 95%CI:(0.04, 0.13)], peripheral sensory neuropathy [OR = 0.07, 95%CI(0.04, 0.12)], dysgeusia [OR = 0.26, 95%CI:(0.19, 0.35)], paraesthesia [OR = 0.23, 95%CI:(0.14, 0.36)], and polyneuropathy [OR = 0.12, 95%CI:(0.01, 0.94)]. However, for grades 3-5, the statistically significant results were only seen in peripheral neuropathy [OR = 0.15, 95%CI:(0.07, 0.34)] and peripheral sensory neuropathy [OR = 0.13, 95%CI:(0.04, 0.40)]. No statistically significant difference regarding the risk of headache, dizziness, and Guillain-Barré syndrome was found between PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and chemotherapy. For PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy, the risk trends of the above-mentioned neurological toxicities, especially grades 3-5 peripheral neuropathy [OR = 1.76, 95%CI:(1.10, 2.82)] was increased compared to chemotherapy alone.

Conclusion: Our comprehensive analysis showed that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone exhibited lower neurological toxicities than chemotherapy. However, the risk of headache, dizziness, and Guillain-Barré syndrome was similar between PD-1/PD-L1 and chemotherapy. For PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy, the incidence trend of neurological toxicities would be increased, especially for peripheral neuropathy of grades 3-5.