start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=21 cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page=113 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2020 dt-pub=20200331 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Pembrolizumab-induced hypothyroidism caused reversible increased serum creatinine levels: a case report en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Background
The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly improved the prognosis of patients with advanced malignancies. On the other hand, these drugs might cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs) including endocrinopathies and nephropathies. Thyroid dysfunction is one of the most common irAEs. For ICIs-induced nephropathies, most cases are due to tubulointerstitial nephritis, which might require steroid treatment. Here, we report a patient with non-small cell lung cancer treated with ICI who developed increased serum creatinine (s-Cr) levels due to ICIs-induced hypothyroidism.
Case presentation
A 57-year-old Asian man with refractory non-small cell lung cancer under ICIs therapy (pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed cell death-1 monoclonal antibody) developed increased s-Cr levels 5 months after the pembrolizumab initiation. His laboratory data, renal biopsy, and Gallium-67 scintigraphy findings denied pembrolizumab-induced tubulointerstitial nephritis. His renal function was correlated with thyroid function. Despite the increase of s-Cr levels, serum cystatin C levels were normal, which could be explained by the hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine treatment improved renal function as well as thyroid function. Then pembrolizumab was resumed, and both his thyroid and renal function remained normal level. Ultimately, we concluded that the increased s-Cr levels were caused by pembrolizumab-induced hypothyroidism.
Conclusion
All clinicians involved in ICI treatment need to recognize the possible increase in s-Cr levels caused by ICIs-induced hypothyroidism, and we propose monitoring serum cystatin C levels to differentiate ICIs-induced hypothyroidism from tubulointerstitial nephritis before invasive renal biopsies or steroid treatment, which are recommended by the prescribing information for pembrolizumab, are performed. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MatsuokaNatsumi en-aut-sei=Matsuoka en-aut-mei=Natsumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=TsujiKenji en-aut-sei=Tsuji en-aut-mei=Kenji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=IchiharaEiki en-aut-sei=Ichihara en-aut-mei=Eiki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=HaraTakayuki en-aut-sei=Hara en-aut-mei=Takayuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=FukushimaKazuhiko en-aut-sei=Fukushima en-aut-mei=Kazuhiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=TomaKishio en-aut-sei=Toma en-aut-mei=Kishio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=KitamuraShinji en-aut-sei=Kitamura en-aut-mei=Shinji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=InagakiKenichi en-aut-sei=Inagaki en-aut-mei=Kenichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=SugiyamaHitoshi en-aut-sei=Sugiyama en-aut-mei=Hitoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=WadaJun en-aut-sei=Wada en-aut-mei=Jun kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology, Allergy and Respiratory Medicine,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Human Resource Development of Dialysis Therapy for Kidney Disease, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism,Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= en-keyword=Pembrolizumab kn-keyword=Pembrolizumab en-keyword=Hypothyroidism kn-keyword=Hypothyroidism en-keyword=Creatinine kn-keyword=Creatinine en-keyword=Cystatin C kn-keyword=Cystatin C END