Article Text
Abstract
Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy has revolutionised cancer treatment since its inception. During an inflammatory response, activated cytotoxic T cells expressing programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) interact with programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on peripheral tissues to thwart an autoimmune reaction. Cancer cells upregulate PD-L1 expression to evade the immune system and are vulnerable to attack in the presence of PD-1 or PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors. However, blockade of this pathway also contributes to the unintended side effect of autoimmune endocrinopathies. Atezolizumab, a checkpoint inhibitor against PD-L1, is associated with the rare complication of type 1 diabetes. We present a case of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody-positive type 1 diabetes developing in a patient with a long-standing history of well-controlled type 2 diabetes following treatment with atezolizumab for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
- diabetes
- chemotherapy
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Footnotes
Twitter @diabetes
Contributors KDS and WR participated in the care of the reported patient. KDS, AC and WR contributed to the development and writing of the manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.