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Abstract
Anticancer immunotherapies modulate the body’s immune system to recognise and eradicate cancerous cells. However, stimulation of the body’s immune system can also lead to a number of adverse effects when those immune cells target non-cancerous cells in the form of autoimmunity. One relatively common example of this off-target action is colitis.
We present three patients who presented atypically with colitis, consequently, leading to a delayed diagnosis. These cases highlight the diverse ways a relatively common immune-related adverse event can present.
- Unwanted effects / adverse reactions
- Oncology
- Gastrointestinal system
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Footnotes
Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: AM (obtained informed consent and prepared the initial manuscript); RM (primary physician in charge of the third patient’s care, review of manuscript); SP (reporting of histology images for multiple patients and providing legends for the images relating to these patients, review of manuscript) and MD (primary physician in charge of two of the patient’s care, review of manuscript). The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: AM, RM, SP and MD.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.