"Identifying Diabetes Risk and High-Risk Patient Characteristics Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Use"

Risk of Diabetes 2.45 Times Higher When Using Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Men and Those with Prominent Lymphocytosis Should Be Monitored from the Start

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The risk of developing diabetes and the high-risk groups associated with diabetes onset due to the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors have been identified. This research is expected to enable the establishment of more stable cancer treatment strategies.

The research team, led by Professors Lee Yu-mi and Lee Min-young from the Department of Endocrinology at Yonsei University Severance Hospital, Professor Park Yu-rang from the Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics at the College of Medicine, and researcher Jung Kyung-seop, announced on the 18th that they clarified the risk of diabetes onset when using immune checkpoint inhibitors compared to traditional chemotherapy and identified related high-risk groups.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a recently spotlighted cancer treatment that prevents cancer cells from evading the body's immune system, allowing immune cells to better recognize and attack cancer cells. However, excessive activation of immune cells due to immune checkpoint inhibitor use can cause side effects such as inflammation of endocrine organs.

The research team analyzed and compared the risk of diabetes onset among 221 patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and 1,105 patients treated with traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy who visited Severance Hospital between 2005 and 2020. The results showed that the group treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors had a 2.45 times higher risk of developing new-onset diabetes compared to the group treated with traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Additionally, the proportion of patients whose blood glucose levels increased over time after drug use was higher in the immune checkpoint inhibitor group at 10.4%, compared to 7.4% in the traditional chemotherapy group.

The risk of developing new-onset diabetes was 2.45 times higher in the immune checkpoint inhibitor group compared to the traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy group (center). The proportion of patients with increased blood glucose levels after drug use was also higher in the immune checkpoint inhibitor group at 10.4%, compared to 7.4% in the traditional chemotherapy group (right). [Data=Yonsei Medical Center]

Accordingly, the research team analyzed the clinical features and characteristics of the group with elevated blood glucose among immune checkpoint inhibitor users. Among patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, those with elevated blood glucose exceeded the diabetes diagnostic criterion of 126 mg/dl within three months of starting treatment. 87% of the group showing increased blood glucose were male, and lymphocytosis after immune checkpoint inhibitor use was more pronounced compared to the group with stable blood glucose levels.

Professor Lee Yu-mi stated, "Based on the risk of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced diabetes and the clinical characteristics of patients identified in this study, it seems possible to predict and select high-risk groups and establish treatment strategies. This will allow the safer use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, an effective new cancer treatment, contributing to the extension of life for many cancer patients."

The research results were published in the latest issue of the international journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental (IF 13.934). This study was conducted with support from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and is one of the analysis results derived during the project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.