Encephalitis as an immune-related adverse event has different features than encephalitis in regular clinical practice

With the increasing use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), neurologists encounter more immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Since the mortality rate of encephalitis occurring as an irAE (irEncephalitis) is as high as 19%,1 it is as lethal a condition as myocarditis. Vogrig et al 2 proposed the classification of central nervous system complications associated with autoantibodies. This report is valuable for managing irEncephalitis, which shows different features than encephalitis in the usual clinical setting.

Making a diagnosis of irEncephalitis is difficult, as patients present with a broad range of clinical features. Limbic encephalitis is the most common phenotype of irEncephalitis; however, unexpected clinical features can be observed, such as those referred to as atypical …