Management of immunotherapy toxicities in older adults

Advanced age is a risk factor for cancer and is attributed to dysregulation of the immune system. Historically, treatment of advanced cancer has primarily involved systemic chemotherapy that is associated with high treatment related toxicity especially in older adults. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) provide an exciting treatment option for older adults in terms of efficacy and safety as compared to systemic chemotherapy. Given the pace of approval of ICIs for multiple cancers, there is an increase in both the use of ICIs and the associated immune-related adverse events. In this article, we address how to approach immunotherapy related toxicities in older adults given the availability of limited data.