{"entity":{"id":"myocarditis","kind":"term","name":"Immune-related myocarditis","aka":["immune myocarditis","checkpoint myocarditis","myocarditis","immune-mediated myocarditis","troponin","troponin monitoring","myositis","myasthenia","myasthenia gravis","immune-related myositis"],"tldr":"Rare but frequently fatal inflammation of the heart muscle triggered by checkpoint inhibitors, usually in the first two months. It often comes with muscle and nerve-muscle inflammation, and needs urgent high-dose steroids.","summary":"Occurs in about 1% of patients (more with combination CTLA-4 plus PD-1 and with some other combinations) with mortality of 25-50%; presents with chest pain, breathlessness, arrhythmia or heart block, often alongside myositis and myasthenia (the 'triad'). Diagnosis rests on troponin, ECG, echocardiography, cardiac MRI and biopsy; treatment is immediate methylprednisolone with abatacept, mycophenolate or ruxolitinib for steroid-refractory cases, and the drug is permanently stopped. Baseline and early troponin monitoring is debated. Distinct from anthracycline and trastuzumab cardiomyopathy, which damage the heart without inflammation.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myocarditis","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myocarditis"}],"tags":[],"related":["irae","cardiotoxicity","immune-endocrinopathy"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care","immunotherapy"],"technologies":["checkpoint-inhibitor","cardio-oncology"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Side effects"},"route":"/terms/myocarditis/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"cardiotoxicity","kind":"term","name":"Cardiotoxicity (LVEF decline, cardiomyopathy)","route":"/terms/cardiotoxicity/"},{"id":"irae","kind":"term","name":"Immune-related adverse events (irAEs)","route":"/terms/irae/"},{"id":"immune-endocrinopathy","kind":"term","name":"Immune-related endocrinopathies (thyroiditis, hypophysitis)","route":"/terms/immune-endocrinopathy/"}],"section":[{"id":"immunotherapy","kind":"section","name":"Immunotherapy","route":"/fronts/immunotherapy/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cardio-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Cardio-oncology","route":"/technologies/cardio-oncology/"},{"id":"checkpoint-inhibitor","kind":"technology","name":"Immune checkpoint inhibitors","route":"/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/"},{"id":"cardiac-biomarker-monitoring","kind":"technology","name":"Troponin and natriuretic peptide monitoring during cancer treatment","route":"/technologies/cardiac-biomarker-monitoring/"}]}}