ICI therapy has greatly improved patient outcomes in melanoma, but at the cost of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Data on the chronicity of irAEs, especially in real-world settings, are currently limited. We performed a retrospective chart review of 161 adult patients with melanoma treated with at least one cycle of ICI regimen in the adjuvant or metastatic setting: 129 patients received PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy and 32 received dual immunotherapy. Patients were grouped by duration of irAE: permanent (no complete resolution), long-term (resolution over a period ≥ 6 months), transient (resolution over a period < 6 months), or no irAEs. A total of 283 irAEs were reported in the whole patient population. Sixty-six (41.0%) patients developed permanent irAEs, fifteen (9.3%) experienced long-term irAEs as their longest-lasting toxicity, thirty-four (21.1%) developed transient irAEs only, and forty-six (28.6%) experienced no irAEs. Permanent irAEs occurred in 21 (65.6%) patients treated with dual immunotherapy and in 45 (34.9%) patients treated with monotherapy. The majority of permanent irAEs were endocrine-related (36.0%) or skin-related (32.4%). Grade 3–4 permanent irAEs occurred in 20 (12.4%) patients and included toxicities such as adrenal insufficiency, myocarditis, and myelitis. Fifty-three (32.9%) patients were still requiring treatment for long-term or permanent irAEs 6 months or more following the completion of ICI therapy, including twenty-four patients on thyroid hormone replacement and twenty-two on oral steroids. ICI treatment was temporarily interrupted for 64 (22.6%) irAEs and permanently discontinued due to irAEs in 38 patients (13.6% of irAEs, 23.6% of patients); additionally, 4 (2.5%) patients died of irAEs. Our findings show that ICI treatment in melanoma is associated with a wide range of toxicities that can be permanent and may have long-lasting impacts on patients, which should therefore be discussed when obtaining consent for treatment.

Background: Priapism is a very rare complication of malignancy and is usually accompanied by locally advanced or widely metastatic disease. We describe a case of priapism arising in a 46-year-old male with localised rectal cancer that was responding to therapy. Case presentation: This patient had just completed two weeks of neoadjuvant, long-course chemoradiation when he presented with persistent painful penile erection. Assessment and diagnosis were delayed for more than 60 h, and although a cause could not be determined from imaging, a near complete radiological response of the primary rectal cancer was seen. His symptoms were refractory to urologic intervention and were associated with extreme psychological distress. He re-presented shortly thereafter with extensively metastatic disease in the lungs, liver, pelvis, scrotum, and penis; additionally, multiple venous thromboses were identified, including in the dorsal penile veins. His priapism was not reversible and was associated with a considerable symptom burden for the remainder of his life. His malignancy did not respond to first-line palliative chemotherapy or radiation, and his clinical course was further complicated by obstructive nephropathy, ileus, and genital skin breakdown with a suspected infection. We initiated comfort measures, and he ultimately died in hospital less than five months after his initial presentation. Conclusion: Priapism in cancer is usually related to tumour infiltration of the penis and corporal bodies resulting in poor venous and lymphatic drainage. The management is palliative and can include chemotherapy, radiation, surgical shunting, and potentially penectomy; however, conservative penis-sparing therapy may be reasonable in patients with limited life expectancy.