Treatment-Related Adverse Events of Antibody Drug Conjugates Identified

MONDAY, Nov. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Adverse effects associated with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been described in a review and meta-analysis published online Nov. 21 in Cancer.

Youwen Zhu, from Central South University in Changsha, China, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of data obtained between Jan. 1, 2000, and June 7, 2022, to examine mechanisms of toxicity for ADCs. The primary outcome was the incidence of all-grade and grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events. A total of 2,511 records were identified that included 169 clinical trials and 22,492 patients.

The researchers found that the overall incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 91.2 and 46.1 percent for all-grade adverse events and grade ≥3 adverse events, respectively. Lymphopenia, nausea, neutropenia, blurred vision, and peripheral neuropathy were the most common all-grade adverse events (53.0, 44.1, 43.7, 40.5, and 39.6 percent, respectively), while the most common grade ≥3 adverse events were neutropenia, hypoesthesia, thrombocytopenia, febrile neutropenia, and lymphopenia (31.2, 23.3, 22.6, 21.2, and 21.0 percent, respectively).

"Different ADCs appear to vary in their treatment-related adverse events," one coauthor said in a statement. "Our results provide an important reference for clinicians and patients on how to address ADCs' toxicity in clinical practice."

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