Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced endocrinopathies: a possible indicator of improved survival

Objective: To evaluate the association between the patients' characteristics and the development of endocrine toxicity and to assess the association between endocrine-related adverse effects (ERAE) development and mortality. Subjects and methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in 98 patients submitted to immunotherapy in our centre since its introduction in 2015 until March 2021. We excluded patients for which data regarding the corticotroph axis evaluation was missing. We used linear and logistic regression models to address our aims. Results: We observed a significant negative association between ERAE development and death (OR 0.32; p = 0.028). We detected no associations between ERAE and the following characteristics: age at immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) initiation, sex, diabetes mellitus, medical history, immunotherapy duration and ICI type. Conclusion: The development of an ERAE may be associated with a better overall survival rate in advanced oncologic disease, supporting the role of an unleashed immune system response to malignant cells.

Automated summary

This retrospective observational study found an association between the development of endocrine-related adverse effects (ERAE) and mortality in patients undergoing immunotherapy. The study showed a significant negative association between ERAE development and death. However, no associations were found between ERAE and characteristics such as age, sex, diabetes, medical history, immunotherapy duration, and immune checkpoint inhibitor type.