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Patients who experience immune-related adverse events (AEs) during immunotherapy for advanced genitourinary (GU) cancers may have better outcomes than those who don't experience such complications, a meta-analysis of data from 21 studies suggested.

This meta-analysis suggested that the occurrence of immune-related AEs "could be a favorable prognostic factor" in this patient population, Yaowen Zhang, MD of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, and colleagues wrote in a poster at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU).

The investigators conducted a comprehensive systematic review of online databases up to April 2023 and identified 21 relevant studies with 4779 patients. Of the studies, 13 investigated renal cell carcinoma, six investigated urothelial carcinoma, and two included a mixed population with either condition.

The pooled overall incidence of immune-related AEs was 29% in patients with renal cell carcinoma or urothelial carcinoma, and the incidence of AEs grade 3 or higher was 13.0%.

Any immune-related AE reduced patients' risk of dying by 55% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.45) and risk for disease progression by 59% (HR, 0.41) than those without AEs.

In addition, patients who experienced treatment-related AEs were 3.65 times more likely to have an overall objective response and 4.19 times more likely to have disease control than those who did not experience immune-related AEs.

A positive association between the occurrence of immune-related AEs and improved outcomes was also observed in subgroup analyses. Specifically, patients with immune-related skin AEs had better overall survival, and those who had both immune-related skin AEs and thyroid dysfunction had better progression-free survival, the researchers explained.

The study is not the first to show improved outcomes in patients with cancer who experience immune-related AEs while on immunotherapy.

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open showed a similar benefit with immune-related AEs in patients with non–small cell lung cancer. As reported by Medscape Medical News, this retrospective cohort study showed that patients with immune-related AEs after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors lived a median of 14 months longer than did those without immune-related AEs. A separate 2022 study, also published in JAMA Network Open, reported similar results in patients with melanoma.

The association isn't entirely understood, but for most patients, more immune-related AEs are "actually a good thing, as long as the toxicity is not very severe," Vishal Navani, MBBS, assistant professor at the University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, previously told Medscape Medical News.

Sharon Worcester, MA, is an award-winning medical journalist based in Birmingham, Alabama, writing for Medscape, MDedge, and other affiliate sites. She currently covers oncology, but she has also written on a variety of other medical specialties and healthcare topics. She can be reached at sworcester@mdedge.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) @SW_MedReporter.