Case of fulminant type 1 diabetes induced by the anti‐programmed death‐ligand 1 antibody, avelumab

Abstract With the expansive use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, the frequency of immune‐related adverse events, including autoimmune type 1 diabetes, has been exponentially increased. The anti‐programmed death‐ligand 1 antibody, avelumab, has recently been approved for metastatic Merkel cell carcin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yui Shibayama, Hiraku Kameda, Shoichiro Ota, Kazuhisa Tsuchida, Kyu Yong Cho, Akinobu Nakamura, Hideaki Miyoshi, Tatsuya Atsumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-09-01
Series:Journal of Diabetes Investigation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1111/jdi.13022
Description
Summary:Abstract With the expansive use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, the frequency of immune‐related adverse events, including autoimmune type 1 diabetes, has been exponentially increased. The anti‐programmed death‐ligand 1 antibody, avelumab, has recently been approved for metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma therapy. Here, we report a patient that developed fulminant type 1 diabetes during avelumab treatment. An 81‐year‐old woman with no history of diabetes received avelumab for metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. Elevated plasma glucose level (483 mg/dL), hemoglobin A1c level (7.5%) and ketosis were observed after 10 courses of avelumab without any symptoms related to hyperglycemia. As the laboratory tests showed insulin depletion, we diagnosed her with fulminant type 1 diabetes induced by avelumab. This is the first reported case of avelumab‐induced type 1 diabetes, illustrating the necessity for close monitoring of glycemic control during avelumab therapy, as well as other immune checkpoint inhibitors.
ISSN:2040-1116
2040-1124