The safety of trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS‐8201) with a focus on interstitial lung disease and/or pneumonitis: A systematic review and single‐arm meta‐analysis

Abstract Background Previous studies involving risk–benefit analysis of trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS‐8201) have indicated the benefit of this treatment, although it may increase the risk of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and/or pneumonitis in certain patients. This study aimed to assess the safety of DS‐8201. Methods A search was done for relevant articles in four electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov . All reports published up until November 2, 2022, were included, and study types were restricted to clinical trials; the last search was then updated to January 10, 2023. We also assessed the quality of the literature with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Methodological Index for Non‐Randomized Studies tool, and then performed a meta‐analysis with R version 4.2.1. Results A total of 1428 patients reported in 13 articles were included in this study. The analysis revealed that the most common all‐grade treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were nausea and fatigue. The most common TEAE of grade 3 or above (grade ≥3) was neutropenia. The incidences of ILD and/or pneumonitis for all‐grade and grade ≥3 TEAEs were 12.5% and 2.2%, respectively. Conclusions This comprehensive summary of the incidence of TEAEs associated with DS‐8201 in clinical trials provides an important guide for clinicians. The most common TEAEs were gastrointestinal reactions and fatigue; meanwhile, the most common grade ≥3 TEAE was hematological toxicity. ILD and/or pneumonitis were specific adverse drug reactions associated with DS‐8201, of which physicians should be particularly aware for their higher morbidity and rates of grade ≥3 TEAEs.