Case Report: A Rising Cause of New-Onset Endocrinopathies After Immunotherapy

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has resulted in a shift in the treatment of oncologic malignancies. Checkpoint inhibitors are a type of immunotherapy that block proteins consequently allowing the immune system to attack cancer cells. ICIs not only cause tumor cell death but can also damage healthy cells and cause immune-related adverse effects. ICIs have been shown to cause endocrinopathies of the pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands as well as the pancreas. This case presents an adult patient with a recent hyperthyroidism diagnosis and no history of diabetes who presented with 2 episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis after undergoing immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma.

Source: The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - April 6, 2023 Category: Nursing Authors: Charity Tan, Sarah Hendricks, Kristina Hernandez, Martha Benavides, Rupinderjit Samra Tags: Case Challenge Source Type: research