From:  Cardiotoxicity of pembrolizumab therapy: narrative review

 Comparison of diagnostic modalities for ICI-associated myocarditis.

ModalityKey findingsSensitivityLimitationsRoleReferences
High-sensitivity troponin (I or T)Elevated in myocardial injury; may precede symptomsHighNot specific to myocarditis; may be elevated in other conditionsScreening and monitoring; every 1% troponin rise associated with worse outcomes[3335]
NT-proBNP/BNPElevated with myocardial stress and heart failureModerateNonspecific; elevated in many cardiac and non-cardiac conditionsAdjunctive biomarker[33, 36]
ECGConduction abnormalities (prolonged QRS, bundle branch block, AV block), atrial/ventricular ectopy, ST-T wave changes; QRS prolongation independently predicts MACEModerateNonspecific; may be normal earlyBaseline and serial monitoring[19, 24]
Echocardiography with GLSReduced LVEF, wall motion abnormalities, pericardial effusion; GLS detects subclinical dysfunctionModerate for LVEF; higher for GLSLVEF may be preserved in early/mild myocarditisInitial imaging; GLS superior to LVEF for early detection[33, 36, 37]
Cardiac MRIT1/T2 mapping, LGE in non-ischemic pattern; 95% meet non-ischemic injury criteriaHighLimited availability; contraindicated with some devices; may miss early diseaseConfirmatory imaging[33, 36, 38]
Endomyocardial biopsyCD8+ T-cell infiltrate, CD163+, PD-L1+ stainingGold standardInvasive; sampling error; procedural riskReserved for uncertain diagnosis or refractory cases[19, 31, 33, 39, 40]

ICI: immune checkpoint inhibitor; NT-proBNP/BNP: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide/B-type natriuretic peptide; ECG: electrocardiogram; AV: atrioventricular; MACE: major adverse cardiac events; GLS: global longitudinal strain; LVEF: left ventricular ejection fraction; LGE: late gadolinium enhancement; PD-L1: programmed death ligand 1.