Management of Toxicities Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Nurses play a critical role in the recognition and management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Current management strategies are primarily based on clinical experience from high-volume centers, and many nurses have limited experience managing immunotherapy-related toxicity. New treatment guidelines from NCCN and ASCO provide recommendations for the management of irAEs as well as guiding principles for immunosuppression and immunotherapy prescribing in the setting of toxicity. Importantly, these guidelines also provide guidance for multidisciplinary teams regarding clinician and patient education on checkpoint inhibitor-related toxicity. It is important for hematology/oncology nurses to gain knowledge about current management strategies and new treatment guidelines to support timely detection and management of potentially life-threatening adverse events.
This information was originally presented at the NCCN 2018 Nursing Forum: Oncology Nursing in Hematologic Malignancies held in New York, New York, on September 21, 2018.
Target Audience
This educational program is designed to meet the educational needs of oncology nurses who manage patients with hematologic malignancies.
Learning Objectives
Following this activity, participants should be able to:
- Recognize the potential scope of immune checkpoint inhibitor-related toxicity.
- Describe the presentation of common irAEs that occur with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- Review strategies for irAE management and new treatment guidelines and apply these into practice to optimize patient outcomes.
Ruth-Ann Gordon, MSN, FNP-BC, OCN
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships
All faculty and activity planners participating in NCCN continuing education (CE) activities are expected to disclose any relevant financial relationships with a commercial interest as defined by ACCME’s, ACPE’s, and ANCC’s Standards for Commercial Support. All faculty presentations have been reviewed for adherence to ACCME’s Criterion 7: The provider develops activities/educational interventions independent of commercial interests (SCS 1, 2, and 6) by experts on the topics. Full disclosure of faculty relationships will be made prior to the activity.
Definitions
NCCN continuing education considers financial relationships to create a “conflict of interest” when an individual has both a financial relationship with a commercial interest and the opportunity to affect CE content about the products or services of a commercial interest with which he/she and/or a spouse or partner has a financial relationship.
NCCN continuing education considers “relevant financial relationships” as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. NCCN does not set a minimal dollar amount for relationships to be significant. Inherent in any amount is the incentive to maintain or increase the value of the relationship.
Faculty Disclaimers
All faculty for this continuing education activity are competent in the subject matter and qualified by experience, training, and/or preparation for the tasks and methods of delivery.
Faculty presentations may include discussion of off-label use. Faculty will disclose that the use in question is not currently approved by the FDA per the product labeling.
Faculty Disclosures
The faculty listed below discloses no relevant financial relationships:
Ruth-Ann Gordon, MSN, FNP-BC, OCN
NCCN Staff Disclosures
The NCCN Activity Planning staff listed below discloses no relevant financial relationships:
Robert W. Carlson, MD; Melissa Esplen; Mark A. Geisler; Kristina M. Gregory, RN, MSN, OCN; Kristin Kline Hasson; Rose Joyce; Karen Kanefield; Lisa G. Kimbro, MBA, CPA (employed by NCCN until August 10, 2018); Joan S. McClure, MS (employed by NCCN until August 1, 2018); Lisa Perfidio, MS; Shannon Ryan; Kathy Ann Smith, CMP, CHCP; Gary J. Weyhmuller, MBA, SPHR
The NCCN Activity Planning staff listed below discloses the following relevant financial relationships:
Donald Harting, ELS, CHCP
Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp): Equity interest/Stock Options
Katherine Pierce
Pfizer Inc.: Equity Interest/Stock Options
Boston Scientific Corporation: Equity Interest/Stock Options
The NCCN Clinical staff listed below discloses no relevant financial relationships:
Alyse Johnson-Chilla; Jillian Scavone, PhD
Nurses
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
NCCN designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.40 contact hours.
Available Credit
- 0.40 ANCC contact hours
- 0.40 Participation
Price
Required Hardware/software
To complete this activity, users will need:
- A device with an Internet connection and sound playback capability
- Adobe Flash Player and/or an HTML5 capable browser for video or audio playback
- Adobe Reader or other PDF reader software for certificate viewing/printing