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Printable monograph

Anti-GD2 antibody

Dinutuximab

Unituxin · DIN

Anti-GD2 antibody · approved 2015 · 7 citations · FAERS AKI reporting ROR 2.00 (95% CI 1.13–3.54, 12 AKI reports)

Up to date· through 2025
Deeply sourced8/9 · 7 signals
  • Met: 7 citations
  • Not met: 12+ references
  • Met: Accrued over 10+ years (span: 15y)
  • Met: Beyond single case reports
  • Met: High-impact journal
  • Met: Landmark reference
  • Met: Current through 2025
  • Met: Real-world FAERS signal

Describes how this page is sourced, not how dangerous the drug is. Thinly sourced means fewer of the sourcing signals are met — not that the agent is kidney-safe. A rule-based summary, not a formal certainty appraisal.

Anti-GD2 antibody for high-risk neuroblastoma whose capillary-leak syndrome, hypertension and severe pain are the renal-relevant signals.

ModerateAnti-GD2 immunotherapy era
High-risk neuroblastoma in children achieving at least a partial response to prior multimodality therapy (with GM-CSF, IL-2 and isotretinoin)
§01

Signature kidney injury

Severe neuropathic pain is near-universal, and capillary-leak syndrome and hypertension are common, sometimes severe, infusion-associated toxicities (driven partly by concurrent IL-2). The resulting fluid shifts and prerenal AKI are managed proactively but not separately quantified.Source: Yu et al., N Engl J Med 2010 (ANBL0032)

Onset & rechallenge

Time to injuryAcute (~1–7 days)

Infusion-associated and acute — capillary leak and blood-pressure swings occur during/around each infusion.

Distilled from: “Infusion-associated and acute — pain, capillary leak and blood-pressure swings occur during/around each infusion.”

§02

Renal toxicities, ranked

This agent's kidney lesions ordered by prominence — the #1 signature lesion first, then secondary and rare patterns. Cited incidence is shown where a citable figure exists; otherwise the tier stands qualitatively.

  1. Grade 3-4 capillary-leak syndrome in 4% on dinutuximab beta alone (up to ~15% when combined with IL-2); hypotension among the most frequently reported ADRs

  2. HypertensionSecondaryqualitative — no citable incidence

    Raised blood pressure — archetypally on-target loss of endothelial nitric oxide from VEGF-pathway blockade, studied as a pharmacodynamic marker of drug exposure. Other agents raise it too: vascular effects of BCR-ABL, BTK and RET inhibitors and of copanlisib; abiraterone's mineralocorticoid excess; androgen suppression or blockade.

  3. Thrombotic MicroangiopathyRareno population incidence denominator

    A single biopsy-confirmed case of dinutuximab-associated atypical HUS (uncontrolled hypertension with renal dysfunction, treated with eculizumab then ravulizumab) — a case report, not a rate PMID 39530431 (opens PubMed in a new tab)

Toxicity fingerprint

Tap a signature to trace where it strikes the nephron.

Incidence not quantified
SeverityModerate
ReversibilityReversible
Evidence7 citations
Nephron map
Glomerulus
Vasculature / Endothelium

Prerenal / Hemodynamic AKI

Renal hypoperfusion from capillary leak and cytokine storm — IL-2 and CAR-T cytokine release syndrome.

§03

Kidney injury

Mechanism of kidney injury

Anti-GD2 binding activates complement and provokes a strong cytokine response (amplified by co-administered IL-2), producing a capillary-leak syndrome with hypotension, edema and intravascular volume depletion, plus paradoxical hypertension during some infusions. The fluid extravasation and hemodynamic swings cause prerenal azotemia; severe capillary leak can lead to hemodynamic AKI. GD2 is also expressed on peripheral nerves, explaining the severe neuropathic pain (an on-target effect), which is not itself renal but drives opioid use and immobility.

Clinical presentation

Severe infusion-related abdominal/extremity pain requiring opioids, hypotension or hypertension, capillary leak with edema and third-spacing, fever; a prerenal creatinine rise from intravascular depletion. Electrolyte shifts may accompany fluid management.

Management

Aggressive supportive care: opioid analgesia for pain, IV fluids/vasopressors for capillary-leak hypotension, antihypertensives for infusion hypertension, and slowing/holding the infusion for severe reactions. Restore effective circulating volume to reverse prerenal AKI. Most renal effects resolve with hemodynamic stabilization between infusions.Lesion-level management framework

Risk factors

  • Concurrent IL-2 (amplifies capillary leak)
  • Pre-existing renal or cardiac compromise
  • Inadequate pre-hydration or premedication
  • High infusion rate

Prevention

  • Pre-hydration and careful fluid management around infusions
  • Premedication (analgesia/opioids, antihistamines, antipyretics) and slow infusion
  • Dose interruption/rate reduction for severe capillary leak or hemodynamic instability
Anticancer mechanism· how it treats cancer

Chimeric monoclonal antibody against the disialoganglioside GD2, highly expressed on neuroblastoma. It triggers antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity; given with GM-CSF, IL-2 and isotretinoin it improves survival in high-risk neuroblastoma after consolidation.

Note · The renal link is usually indirect — capillary-leak syndrome, hemodynamic swings (hypotension/hypertension) and severe pain (with IL-2 amplification) cause prerenal AKI as the usual renal mechanism. A single biopsy-confirmed case of dinutuximab-associated atypical HUS, presenting as uncontrolled hypertension with renal dysfunction and requiring complement-directed therapy (eculizumab, then ravulizumab), has been reported (Huang, J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2025) — rare, but it is the reason a hypertensive creatinine rise here is not automatically prerenal.
§04

Clinical depth

Renal dose adjustment

No specific renal dose adjustment in labeling (a monoclonal antibody); manage infusion rate and interruptions for capillary leak, pain and hemodynamic instability.

Dialyzability & ESKD dosing

A monoclonal antibody; not dialyzable. ESKD dosing is not established (used in pediatric neuroblastoma).

Differential diagnosis

Distinguish capillary-leak/hemodynamic prerenal AKI (intravascular depletion with edema, responds to volume/pressors) from sepsis and from intrinsic renal injury. The infusion-bound timing and co-administered IL-2 context are key clues.

Monitoring

  • Blood pressure and volume status continuously during infusions
  • Pain assessment and analgesic titration
  • Signs of capillary leak (edema, weight gain, hypotension)

Key trials & series

  • ANBL0032 (Yu, NEJM 2010) — registrational trial defining capillary leak, hypertension and severe pain

Clinical pearls

  • Capillary-leak syndrome with hypotension and intravascular depletion is the renal mechanism — support circulating volume.
  • Severe neuropathic pain is on-target (GD2 on nerves) and near-universal — pre-emptive opioids are standard.
  • Co-administered IL-2 amplifies the capillary leak and hemodynamic swings.
  • Blood pressure can swing both ways during infusions; monitor continuously.
§05

References

7 primary references — trials, cohorts, mechanism, and reviews. Citation metadata via PubMed / NLM.

Evidence accrual

7 references · 2010–2025 · 2 since 2023
202010: 1 citation2016: 1 citation2018: 1 citation2021: 2 citations2025: 2 citations201020202025

Primary (non–case-report) references per year — a proxy for how actively the agent's renal literature is accruing. Recent years are highlighted. Reflects curation depth, not a systematic bibliometric count.

  1. 1.LandmarkAnti-GD2 antibody with GM-CSF, interleukin-2, and isotretinoin for neuroblastoma.Yu AL et al. · N Engl J Med · 2010 · PMID 20879881Registrational trial defining capillary leak syndrome, hypersensitivity reactions and severe pain — the infusion/renal-relevant toxicities.
  2. 2.Long-Term Follow-up of a Phase III Study of ch14.18 (Dinutuximab) + Cytokine Immunotherapy in Children with High-Risk Neuroblastoma: COG Study ANBL0032.Yu AL et al. · Clin Cancer Res · 2021 · PMID 33504555Long-term follow-up (5-year EFS/OS) confirming the durable survival benefit of dinutuximab + cytokine immunotherapy in high-risk neuroblastoma.
  3. 3.Interleukin 2 with anti-GD2 antibody ch14.18/CHO (dinutuximab beta) in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL1/SIOPEN): a multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial.Ladenstein R et al. · Lancet Oncol · 2018 · PMID 30442501European experience characterizing capillary leak and pain.
  4. 4.Anti-GD2 mAbs and next-generation mAb-based agents for cancer therapy.Perez Horta Z et al. · Immunotherapy · 2016 · PMID 27485082Review of anti-GD2 mAb mechanisms of action (ADCC/complement-mediated cytotoxicity) and next-generation agents in neuroblastoma.
  5. 5.Mechanisms, Characteristics, and Treatment of Neuropathic Pain and Peripheral Neuropathy Associated with Dinutuximab in Neuroblastoma Patients.Mastrangelo S et al. · Int J Mol Sci · 2021 · PMID 34884452Management of the severe on-target pain that drives supportive care.
  6. 6.Strategies to manage the adverse effects of immunotherapy with dinutuximab beta in neuroblastoma: an Italian experience and literature review.Amoroso L et al. · Support Care Cancer · 2025 · PMID 39907793Practical management of capillary leak, hypertension and pain.
  7. 7.Case Report of Dinutuximab-induced Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.Huang L, et al. · J Pediatr Hematol Oncol · 2025 · PMID 39530431Biopsy-diagnosed atypical HUS after dinutuximab presenting as uncontrolled hypertension and renal dysfunction, requiring eculizumab then ravulizumab — the sole source for the rare intrinsic TMA phenotype.
FDA label — boxed warning & renal dosing· boxed warning · renal impairment

Quoted verbatim from this agent's current FDA label (Jul 2026) — not paraphrased or interpreted. Full label on DailyMed .

Boxed warning

WARNING: SERIOUS INFUSION REACTIONS AND NEUROTOXICITY WARNING: SERIOUS INFUSION REACTIONS AND NEUROTOXICITY See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. Infusion Reactions: Life-threatening infusion adverse reactions occur with Unituxin. Administer required prehydration and premedication. Immediately interrupt for severe infusion reactions and permanently discontinue for anaphylaxis [see Dosage and Administration (2.2 , 2.3) and Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . Neurotoxicity: Unituxin causes severe neuropathic pain. Administer intravenous opioid prior to, during, and for 2 hours following completion of the Unituxin infusion. Severe peripheral sensory neuropathy ranged from 2% to 9% in patients with neuroblastoma. Severe peripheral motor neuropathy has also been reported. Discontinue for severe unresponsive pain, severe sensory neuropathy, and moderate to severe peripheral motor neuropathy [see Dosage and Administration (2.2 , 2.3) and Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] . Infusion Reactions Serious and potentially life-threatening infusion reactions occurred in 26% of patients treated with Unituxin. Administer required prehydration and premedication including antihistamines prior to each Unituxin infusion. Monitor patients closely for signs and symptoms of an infusion reaction during and for at least four hours following completion of each Unituxin infusion.…

Renal impairment — from the label

Unituxin has not been studied in patients with renal impairment.

What gets reported — FAERS

Everything below is FAERS — adverse events someone chose to report, about 832 of them for this agent. Nobody counts the patients who were fine, so none of these numbers is an incidence, a risk, or a rate: they describe what gets reported, shaped by a drug's fame, its indication, and who was watching. How these numbers work.

  • Reporting odds ratio (ROR) — is kidney injury named in this agent's reports more often than in every other drug's? Above 1 means yes, disproportionately.
  • Renal phenotypes — the same question asked separately for each kind of kidney injury, so the ratios differ from the overall one and from each other.
  • Outcomes — a share of this agent's own reports, not of patients: how many were filed as involving a death or a hospitalization. Not a case-fatality rate.
FAERS reported renal phenotypes· 4 signals

Only significant signals appear (95% CI lower bound above 1) — a phenotype missing here was tested and did not reach significance, except Prerenal / Hemodynamic AKI, Pseudo-AKI, Renal Cysts, Chronic Interstitial Nephropathy — outside the clinician-reviewed MedDRA term map, never queried — and ATN and AIN, queried but biopsy-bound: real cases are filed as generic “acute kidney injury”, so their absence is not a negative. As of 2026-10-01.

What reporting says about this profile's documented lesions

  • Thrombotic Microangiopathycorroborated · ROR 47.22
  • Prerenal / Hemodynamic AKINot queried in FAERS — No MedDRA term set is defined for this phenotype, so FAERS was never asked about it.
  • HypertensionNo disproportionate reporting — This phenotype IS reportable and this agent has enough reports, yet the reporting is not disproportionate — the one genuinely informative negative of the four.
Thrombotic Microangiopathy
ROR 47.2295% CI 32.38–68.85· 28 reports
Glomerular Injury / Proteinuria
ROR 8.7695% CI 4.69–16.34· 10 reports
Electrolyte Disturbance
ROR 8.0095% CI 6.11–10.47· 57 reports
SIADH / Hyponatremia
ROR 5.4195% CI 3.35–8.75· 17 reports
FAERS outcomes & reporting trend· 20.2% of reports w/ death · 34% w/ hospitalization
20.2%

Reported with a death outcome

168 of 832 reports

34%

Reported with hospitalization

283 of 832 reports

Reports per year

  • 2015: 10 reports
  • 2016: 24 reports
  • 2017: 62 reports
  • 2018: 82 reports
  • 2019: 62 reports
  • 2020: 72 reports
  • 2021: 138 reports
  • 2022: 106 reports
  • 2023: 102 reports
  • 2024: 68 reports
  • 2025: 61 reports
  • 2026: 45 reports

Yearly FAERS report volume · most recent year is partial.

FAERS adverse-event signal — all organ systems· 9 systems · 832 reports

Bars rank systems by summed reaction-term mentions (a report counts once per term it names) — an ordinal “more vs less reported” cue, not a tally of distinct reports. Renal & urinary first. As of 2026-10-01.

Disproportionality (acute kidney injury):ROR 2.0095% CI 1.13–3.54· 12 AKI reports ·AKI is reported disproportionately more often than for other drugs (CI entirely above 1) — a hypothesis-generating signal, not proof of causation.
General / constitutional
Pyrexia169Pain87Malaise33Oedema32Weight Increased32
Gastrointestinal
Abdominal Pain78Vomiting62Diarrhoea50Nausea41Constipation32
Blood & lymphatic
Anaemia56Platelet Count Decreased43Thrombocytopenia37Pancytopenia33
Hepatobiliary
Aspartate Aminotransferase Increased63Alanine Aminotransferase Increased61Gamma-Glutamyltransferase Increased36
Respiratory
Hypoxia48Cough35
Vascular
Hypotension58
Metabolic & electrolyte
Hypoalbuminaemia54
Musculoskeletal
Pain In Extremity50
Nervous system
Headache30
Guidelines & consensus· 13

Each recommendation below is this atlas's faithful summary of the source, not a quotation from it — follow the PubMed link for the wording the society published. Summaries may be superseded; consult the current full text and individualize to the patient.

General onco-nephrology references

ADQIThe nephrotoxic effects of anti-cancer therapies: consensus report of the 34th Acute Disease Quality Initiative workgroupNat Rev Nephrol 2026 · PMID 41361704Provides expert-based statements (modified Delphi) on preventing and managing cisplatin/platinum-associated AKI, including isotonic IV hydration, attention to volume status and concomitant nephrotoxins, and incorporates evidence that IV magnesium supplementation may reduce cisplatin-associated AKI; emphasizes risk stratification and standardized AKI definitions.SIRMSIRM-SIN-AIOM: appropriateness criteria for evaluation and prevention of renal damage in the patient undergoing contrast medium examinations-consensus statements from Italian College of Radiology (SIRM), Italian College of Nephrology (SIN) and Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)Radiol Med 2022 · PMID 35303246Recommends eGFR-based renal risk assessment and pre/post-contrast isotonic saline or sodium bicarbonate hydration; advises maintaining a 5-7 day interval between iodinated contrast administration and cisplatin in cancer patients to reduce additive nephrotoxicity.KDIGOKDIGO Controversies Conference on onco-nephrology: understanding kidney impairment and solid-organ malignancies, and managing kidney cancerKidney Int 2020 · PMID 33126977Identifies platinum compounds (especially cisplatin) as leading cytotoxic causes of acute tubular injury, AKI, and electrolyte/magnesium wasting; calls for interdisciplinary onco-nephrology care, accurate GFR estimation, and individualized drug dosing in patients with reduced kidney function.KDIGOKDIGO Controversies Conference on onco-nephrology: kidney disease in hematological malignancies and the burden of cancer after kidney transplantationKidney Int 2020 · PMID 33276867Addresses chemotherapy-associated AKI/CKD in hematologic cancer, GFR estimation and chemotherapy dosing in patients with reduced kidney function, and management priorities and research gaps for onco-nephrology care.ADDIKDIntegrating International Consensus Guidelines for Anticancer Drug Dosing in Kidney Dysfunction (ADDIKD) into everyday practiceEClinicalMedicine 2025 · PMID 40290844Provides GRADE-based, drug-specific dose-adjustment recommendations for anticancer agents in kidney dysfunction (illustrated for methotrexate, cisplatin, carboplatin and nivolumab); the recommendations build on Part 1's standardised CKD-EPI eGFR assessment rather than Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance.ADDIKDAligning kidney function assessment in patients with cancer to global practices in internal medicineEClinicalMedicine 2025 · PMID 40290845Three consensus recommendations: assess kidney function by GFR (measured GFR or CKD-EPI eGFR), classify it using KDIGO categories, and use this uniform approach to dose anticancer drugs — moving cancer medicine away from Cockcroft-Gault estimated creatinine clearance.ADDIKDA methodology for determining dosing recommendations for anticancer drugs in patients with reduced kidney functionEClinicalMedicine 2025 · PMID 40290846Establishes that, where RCT evidence is lacking, anticancer drug dosing recommendations in kidney dysfunction should be derived by critically appraising observational literature via GRADE combined with structured international multidisciplinary consensus voting.KDIGODiagnosis, evaluation, and management of acute kidney injury: a KDIGO summary (Part 1)Crit Care 2013 · PMID 23394211Defines/stages AKI by serum creatinine and urine output; emphasizes avoiding nephrotoxins, maintaining euvolemia/perfusion, dose-adjusting drugs to kidney function, and monitoring high-risk patients — the framework applied to nephrotoxic anti-cancer agents.KDIGOExecutive summary of the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease: known knowns and known unknownsKidney Int 2024 · PMID 38519239Evaluate and risk-stratify CKD, manage to delay progression and its complications, and practise explicit medication management and drug stewardship — the framework the atlas's G1–G5 eGFR banding and every renal dose-adjustment recommendation sit inside. Because the guideline excludes dialysis and transplant recipients by its own statement of scope, its recommendations do not carry to those settings, where this atlas's dialyzability and post-transplant guidance rests on other sources.KDIGOExecutive summary of the KDIGO 2021 Guideline for the Management of Glomerular DiseasesKidney Int 2021 · PMID 34556300Provides the staging/treatment framework for drug-associated glomerular lesions (e.g., bisphosphonate- and interferon-related collapsing FSGS, VEGF-inhibitor podocytopathy/proteinuria), including immunosuppression and supportive RAAS-blockade strategies.KDIGOExecutive summary of the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of ANCA-Associated VasculitisKidney Int 2024 · PMID 38388147Updates immunosuppressive induction (rituximab/cyclophosphamide), incorporates avacopan and lower-dose or glucocorticoid-sparing regimens — the management framework for drug- and checkpoint-inhibitor-associated ANCA/pauci-immune glomerulonephritis.KDIGOExecutive summary of the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Lupus NephritisKidney Int 2024 · PMID 38182299Updates first-line lupus nephritis therapy to combination immunosuppression with the addition of belimumab or a calcineurin inhibitor (voclosporin) — informs management of immune-complex/lupus-like glomerulonephritis encountered with immunotherapy.KDIGOExecutive summary of the KDIGO 2025 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy (IgAN) and Immunoglobulin A Vasculitis (IgAV)Kidney Int 2025 · PMID 40975525Encourages liberal kidney biopsy and stricter proteinuria control (<0.5 g/d, ideally <0.3 g/d) with RAAS blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, and targeted-release budesonide — the framework for IgA-dominant glomerular lesions, including those triggered by immune-modulating cancer therapy.

Where Dinutuximab sits in nephrotoxicity space — each dot is an anti-cancer agent, positioned so neighbors share a kidney-injury phenotype. Its 6 closest are filled and lead to a numbered marker, matching the numbered cards below.

Position is a 2-D projection (MDS) of each agent's injury signature, nephron target, severity, and class, so two dots can sit close on the page while differing on an axis the projection flattened — the numbered ranking is computed from the full metric, not from the distance you see. Open the full map.
Phenotype-similar agents· the numbered markers on the map above

Ponatinib

Iclusig · BCR-ABL TKI

Profile

Vascular toxicity and hypertension.

HTNPRETMA
Moderate#1 · 87% phenotype match

Naxitamab

Danyelza · Anti-GD2 antibody

Profile

Anti-GD2 antibody; infusion-related hypertension and prerenal AKI.

PREHTN
Moderate#2 · 72% phenotype match

Zolbetuximab

Vyloy · Anti-Claudin-18.2 monoclonal antibody

Profile

2024 gastric mAb; severe on-target nausea/vomiting → volume-depletion prerenal AKI.

PRE
Moderate#3 · 67% phenotype match

Asciminib

Scemblix · BCR-ABL STAMP inhibitor

Profile

Hypertension and pancreatitis; allosteric BCR-ABL inhibitor.

HTNPRE
Mild#4 · 67% phenotype match

Capecitabine

Xeloda · Pyrimidine analog (oral 5-FU)

Profile

Diarrhea-driven prerenal AKI; dose-adjust for CrCl.

PRETMA
Mild#5 · 65% phenotype match

5-Fluorouracil

Adrucil · Pyrimidine analog

Profile

Rare TMA, esp. with mitomycin; mostly renally safe.

TMAPRE
Mild#6 · 65% phenotype match
Compare Dinutuximab with its nearest agents

Nearest agents by kidney-injury phenotype (shared injuries, nephron target, severity, class) — a similarity approximation, not a claim of shared drug identity or mechanism.

Kidney risk across Monoclonal antibodies (other)

Same-class agents ordered by their documented kidney-injury profile — atlas severity, an acute-kidney-injury FAERS signal, and how many injury types each is documented to cause. Agents nearer the top carry the lighter documented renal profile.

  1. 1DaratumumabMild
  2. 2MogamulizumabMild
  3. 3ZenocutuzumabMild
  4. 4ElotuzumabFAERS AKIMild
  5. 5CetuximabFAERS AKIMild
  6. 6IsatuximabFAERS AKIMild
  7. 7PanitumumabFAERS AKIMild
  8. 8TafasitamabFAERS AKIMild
  9. 9ZanidatamabFAERS AKIMild
  10. 10NecitumumabModerate
  11. 11ZolbetuximabModerate
  12. 12AmivantamabModerate
  13. 13NaxitamabModerate
  14. 14Dinutuximab· this agentFAERS AKIModerate
  15. 15ObinutuzumabFAERS AKIModerate
  16. 16RituximabFAERS AKIModerate

A comparison of documented kidney-injury data within one drug class — not a substitution recommendation. Efficacy, indication, and non-renal toxicity differ between these agents and are out of scope here. Educational only, not medical advice.