Risk of fatigue in cancer patients treated with anti programmed cell death-1/anti programmed cell death ligand-1 agents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: We aimed to assess the incidence and relative risk (RR) of fatigue in cancer patients treated with anti programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and anti programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) agents. Patients & methods: Eligible studies were selected according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Incidence, RR and 95% CIs were calculated using random or fixed-effects models. Results: Thirty-eight studies were included in this analysis, with a total of 11,719 patients. The incidences were 23.4 and 2.1% for all- and high-grade fatigue, respectively. The highest incidence of high-grade fatigue was reported by the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab. Overall RR of high-grade fatigue with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 compared with chemotherapy or targeted therapy was 0.48. Conclusion: Treatment with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents correlates with lower incidence and RR of fatigue compared with standard therapies.