- Combined PD-1 and CTLA-4 Blockade Increases the Risks of Multiple Pituitary Hormone Deficiency and Isolated Adrenocorticotropic Deficiency: A Prospective Study
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Shintaro Iwama, Tomoko Kobayashi, Tetsushi Izuchi, Koji Suzuki, Takanori Murase, Masahiko Ando, Tomoko Handa, Takeshi Onoue, Takashi Miyata, Mariko Sugiyama, Daisuke Hagiwara, Hidetaka Suga, Ryoichi Banno, Tetsunari Hase, Shoichiro Mori, Tomoyasu Sano, Shusuke Akamatsu, Masashi Akiyama, Makoto Ishii, Hiroshi Arima
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Received September 24, 2024 Accepted November 18, 2024 Published online February 11, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2024.2180
[Epub ahead of print]
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Abstract
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- Background
Anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 antibody (CTLA-4-Ab) monotherapy induces two types of pituitary immunerelated adverse events (irAEs): multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (Multi-D; impairment of ≥2 anterior pituitary hormones) and isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency (IAD). Combination therapy with CTLA-4-Ab and anti-programmed cell death-1 antibody (PD-1/CTLA-4-Abs), which is increasingly replacing CTLA-4-Ab monotherapy, frequently causes pituitary irAEs; however, whether it increases Multi-D/IAD incidence is unknown.
Methods In total, 74 and 748 patients with malignancies treated with PD-1/CTLA-4-Abs and PD-1-Ab, respectively, were prospectively evaluated for ACTH and cortisol levels at baseline and every 6 weeks after treatment initiation, and then observed until the last clinical visit. The characteristics of pituitary irAEs were evaluated by pituitary stimulation tests and compared with those induced by PD-1-Ab monotherapy.
Results PD-1/CTLA-4-Abs therapy showed higher incidence rates of pituitary irAEs (16/74 [21.6%] vs. 25/748 [3.3%], P<0.001), Multi-D (9/74 [12.2%] vs. 2/748 [0.3%], P<0.001), and IAD (7/74 [9.5%] vs. 23/748 [3.1%], P=0.014) than PD-1-Ab monotherapy. ACTH deficiency was observed in all cases, whereas the prevalence rates of luteinizing hormone deficiency (8/16 [50.0%] vs. 1/25 [4.0%]), follicle-stimulating hormone deficiency (6/16 [37.5%] vs. 1/25 [4.0%]), and thyrotropin deficiency (4/16 [25.0%] vs. 0/25 [0%]) were significantly higher after PD-1/CTLA-4-Abs than after PD-1-Ab treatment. Pituitary enlargement, which was observed only in the Multi-D cases, was significantly more frequent after PD-1/CTLA-4-Abs than after PD-1-Ab treatment (6/16 [37.5%] vs. 0/25 [0%], P=0.002).
Conclusion This prospective study revealed high risks of both Multi-D and IAD under PD-1/CTLA-4-Abs treatment, emphasizing the need for careful evaluation of pituitary function.
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