Safe Use of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients With Autoimmune Disease in a Community Hospital Setting: A Report of Two Cases

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are fundamental to the management of hematologic and solid organ malignancies, and indications for their use are rapidly increasing. Patients with preexisting autoimmune diseases are often excluded from clinical trials involving ICIs due to the risk of exacerbating the underlying autoimmune condition. The lack of trial-level safety data limits the use of these therapies in real-world patients with autoimmune disease. We present a case series of two patients with preexisting autoimmune diseases who received immunotherapy for their malignancies, with manageable toxicities and desirable outcomes from an oncologic standpoint. We aim to contribute to the growing body of evidence suggesting that ICIs can be safely offered to selected patients with autoimmune diseases.