IrAEs can present with inflammation in one organ or multiple organs. Your primary oncology team works very closely with the UChicago Medicine ICC, which comprises of clinical immunology specialists who have particular expertise irAE evaluation and treatment.

Immune-Related Adverse Events Clinical Consortium for Immunotherapy Patients

Immune-related Adverse Events (IrAEs) are unintended side effects of cancer immunotherapies. This is a new field of study and treatment, which is also referred to as immunotherapy toxicity.

The University of Chicago Medicine is spearheading research in this burgeoning field and providing patients with care and resources unequaled in the region. In fact, UChicago Medicine has the only outpatient IrAE clinical consortium in Illinois and one of few in the entire country.

Our clinical consortium, which is made up of expert physicians from nine specialties, is dedicated to IrAEs from checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy for solid organ cancers, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma and many others.

The information below will give you answers to frequently asked questions about IrAEs and connect you with members of the UChicago Medicine IrAE Clinical Consortium (ICC).

Learn more about the immune-related adverse events and the ICC

What are Immune-related Adverse Events (irAEs)?

Cancer immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, supercharge the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Unfortunately, this activated immune system can lead the body to attack itself and cause inflammation leading to side effects known as irAEs.

IrAE symptoms can mimic primary autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease. IrAE symptoms can be mild to life-threatening.

How are irAEs diagnosed?

There is presently no single lab, imaging test or procedure that can make a definitive diagnosis. Instead, suspected irAEs are best evaluated and managed by experts who are experienced with immune checkpoint inhibitor research and use, such as the doctors within the ICC at UChicago Medicine.

A typical irAE diagnosis will include an expert evaluation that takes into account:

Timing of symptoms relative to the most recent immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment
Patient symptoms and clinical presentation
Weighing of alternate causes and their unlikelihood
Information from various labs, images and procedures that may be necessary depending on symptoms

How are irAEs treated?

Treatment for an IrAE is always tailored to a patient’s specific situation and needs. Approach to treatment relies on a patient’s clinical presentation, severity of disease, currently-available research and collaborative care between oncology and key disease specialists.

Steroids are usually the first-line treatment. In cases that are resistant or refractory to steroids or in cases of recurring irAE, physicians will consider a variety of other immunomodulating medications for treatment. Then, the treatment duration is mostly based on a patient’s symptom response, medication tolerability and cancer status.

Who treats irAEs?

What is the UChicago Medicine IrAE Clinical Consortium (ICC)?

The University of Chicago IrAE Clinical Consortium is a team of physicians who have expertise in evaluation and management of irAEs.

The UChicago Medicine ICC has experts from several specialties that work together to provide efficient and effective assessment and care for irAEs. These physicians are autoimmune disease specialists from key medical disciplines. They’re leaders in this emerging field of care and are skilled in guiding outpatient evaluation and management of IrAEs. They work with IrAEs from solid organ cancers including stomach cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, some skin cancers and many others.

What research is underway for irAEs? Can I participate in a clinical trial?

The ICC physicians are continually engaged in research to advance IrAE care and inform their clinical decisions. Consult with your ICC physician about active clinical trials and whether they may be right for you.

Additionally, all ICC patients are invited to join the irAE patient registry, which helps advance our research efforts, improve our understanding of irAEs and optimize therapeutic strategies.