J Infus Nurs 2022 May-Jun 01;45(3):142-153
Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio (Ms Wood); University of Chicago Medicine, Genitourinary Oncology, Chicago, Illinois (Ms Conway); St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom (Ms Lapuente, Mr Salvador, Ms Fernandez Gomez); St George's Hospital, London, United Kingdom (Ms Fernandez Gomez); EMD Serono, Rockland, Massachusetts (Ms Carroll Bullock); Pfizer Inc, New York, New York (Dr Devgan); City of Hope Medical Center, Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Duarte, California (Ms Burns).
Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as programmed cell death ligand 1 inhibitors pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab, and avelumab, are used to treat patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC). Based on data from the phase 3 JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial, avelumab first-line (1L) maintenance is now considered the standard-of-care treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who responded or experienced disease stabilization after 1L platinum-containing chemotherapy, and it is the only category 1 preferred checkpoint inhibitor maintenance option in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for patients with cisplatin-eligible and cisplatin-ineligible locally advanced or metastatic UC. This article reviews key considerations related to avelumab 1L maintenance therapy that infusion nurses should be familiar with, including dosing, administration, and immune-related adverse event recognition and management, to ensure safe and appropriate use of this important and impactful therapy. Read More