Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06993727

Autoimmune Endocrine Disease Related Antibodies Before the Start of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

Promising treatments have been added to the oncologist's arsenal in recent years. Treatments that, unlike conventional chemotherapy, do not aim to destroy cancer cells directly, but rather activate the patient's own immune system to recognize and attack tumor cells again. This new treatment is called immune checkpoint therapy. This involves administering antibodies (large Y-shaped proteins that can stick to the surface of cells) that remove the brakes from the immune system.

The disadvantage of this innovative treatment is that the rejuvenated immune system can also attack cells that we want it not to recognize - our own body's cells. This is called autoimmunity. Patients who receive immune checkpoint therapy may suffer from symptoms such as skin rashes, diarrhea, hepatitis or hypothyroidism.

The purpose of this study is to find biomarkers predictive of the development of these side effects, and possibly also predict a better outcome of the cancer therapy. The investigators will also look for the presence of antibodies against the endocrine glands (glands that produce hormones, such as the thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, and pancreas) before the start of the immune therapy.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

C.H.U. Saint-Pierre, Brussels, Belgium

Loading trial locations.

About this study

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (ICI) is the current standard of care for many malignancies, due to its unique mechanism of action. These therapies release the brakes of the immune system by targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4, e.g., ipilimumab, tremelimumab), programmed cell death-1 (PD-1, e.g., cemiplimab, dostarlimab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab) or its ligand (PD-L1, e.g., atezolizumab, avelumab, durvalumab). The flip side of the coin are immune-related adverse events (IrAE), including skin, intestinal and endocrinological toxicity, although any organ system can potentially be affected.

The prospective follow-up of the endocrine autoantibodies is an area of interest as the presence of thyroid autoantibodies is associated with the occurrence of thyroiditis with immunotherapy.

In turn, the occurrence of thyroiditis with immunotherapy is related to improved oncologic prognosis. Therefore, it would be of value to analyze whether the presence of thyroid autoimmunity (with positive thyroperoxidase and/or thyroglobulin autoantibodies) before the start of immunotherapy could be a marker of improved oncologic prognosis and outcome.

Furthermore, there is a gap in our knowledge of the impact of autoantibodies against less common endocrinopathies, such as hypophysitis (inflammation of the pituitary gland), adrenalitis (inflammation of the adrenal glands) or pancreas (type-1 like diabetes mellitus). Finding a prognostic factor for these types of endocrinopathy is equally important, as these patients may present with life-threatening endocrinopathy (adrenal crisis, diabetic ketoacidosis) and should be recognized and treated in a timely manner.

The main purpose of the current study is to evaluate the association between the autoimmune endocrine disease-related antibodies, the development of endocrine irAE and the impact on the tumor response including progression-free survival and overall survival.

For this study, the investigators aim to perform a blood sample before and during the immunotherapy, for the analysis of the autoimmune endocrine disease related antibodies (Ab): anti-thyroglobulin Ab (aTg), anti-thyroperoxidase Ab (aTPO), anti-TSH-receptor Ab (TSI), pituitary Ab, adrenal Ab, and anti-GAD. The included patients will be prospectively followed up.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • All subjects eligible for immune checkpoint therapy at the participating study sites. The cohort will consist of all subjects who consent to participate, and to use their information for future research and publication in a scientific journal.

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnancy

Treatment and study plan

Blood sampling

Other

For the analysis of the autoimmune endocrine disease related antibodies (Ab) before the start of the immunotherapy, a blood sample will be collected aligned with the first visit with the treating gastro-enterologist/oncologist/pneumologist for analysis of: anti-thyroglobulin Ab (aTg), anti-thyroperoxidase Ab (aTPO), TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb), pituitary Ab, adrenal Ab, and anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) Ab.

Primary outcomes

  1. Blood level of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (aTg)

    Time frame: Baseline (before the start of the immunotherapy)

    Blood level of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (aTg)

  2. Blood level of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (aTg)

    Time frame: 3 months after baseline

    Blood level of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (aTg)

  3. Blood level of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (aTg)

    Time frame: 6 months after baseline

    Blood level of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (aTg)

  4. Blood level of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (aTPO)

    Time frame: Baseline (before the start of immunotherapy)

    Blood level of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (aTPO)

  5. Blood level of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (aTPO)

    Time frame: 3 months after baseline

    Blood level of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (aTPO)

  6. Blood level of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (aTPO)

    Time frame: 6 months after baseline

    Blood level of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (aTPO)

  7. Blood levels of TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)

    Time frame: Baseline (before the start of immunotherapy)

    Blood levels of TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)

  8. Blood levels of TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)

    Time frame: 3 months after baseline

    Blood levels of TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)

  9. Blood levels of TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)

    Time frame: 6 months after baseline

    Blood levels of TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)

  10. Blood level of pituitary antibody

    Time frame: Baseline (before the start of immunotherapy)

    Blood level of pituitary antibody

  11. Blood level of pituitary antibody

    Time frame: 3 months after baseline

    Blood level of pituitary antibody

  12. Blood level of pituitary antibody

    Time frame: 6 months after baseline

    Blood level of pituitary antibody

  13. Blood level of adrenal antibody

    Time frame: Baseline (before the start of immunotherapy)

    Blood level of adrenal antibody

  14. Blood level of adrenal antibody

    Time frame: 3 months after baseline

    Blood level of adrenal antibody

  15. Blood level of adrenal antibody

    Time frame: 6 months after baseline

    Blood level of adrenal antibody

  16. Blood level of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody

    Time frame: Baseline (before the start of immunotherapy)

    Blood level of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody

  17. Blood level of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody

    Time frame: 3 months after baseline

    Blood level of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody

  18. Blood level of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody

    Time frame: 6 months after baseline

    Blood level of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Jeroen de Filette, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

024772067

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Laura ICONARU

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Prospective Study of Autoimmune Endocrine Disease-related Antibodies Before the Start of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
May 29, 2025
Registry last updated
May 29, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.