Characterization of immunomodulatory factors and cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis

As immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are widely used, a series of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been reported, including immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis (ICI-pneumonitis). The incidence of ICI-pneumonitis is higher in reality than in clinical trials. The diagnosis is challenging, mainly based on clinical and imaging features, and requires the exclusion of other causes. The data on the biological mechanisms of ICI-pneumonitis are scarce, resulting in little knowledge of the best treatment for ICI-pneumonitis. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) may be helpful to identify the biological differences or find predictive biomarkers, and may in turn help to develop phenotype-specific targeted drugs to treat ICI-pneumonitis. Herein, we outline the characterization of immunomodulatory factors and cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for ICI-pneumonitis. Through careful sorting and literature review, we find crosstalk between pathogenic Th17/Th1 cells (i.e., Th17.1) and pro-inflammatory monocytes, and activation of Th17(/Th1)/IL-17A (/IFN-γ) pathways may play a key role in the pathogenesis of ICI-pneumonitis. Disruption of the interaction between pathogenic Th17/Th1 cells and pro-inflammatory monocytes (such as, anti-IL-23) may be a potential treatment for ICI-pneumonitis. We first describe the possible pathophysiological mechanisms of ICI-pneumonitis, hoping to contribute to the optimization of diagnosis and treatment, as well as provide readers with research inspiration. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00432-023-04696-0.