Hypothyroidism in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Receiving Radiotherapy With or Without Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Hypothyroidism in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Receiving Radiotherapy With or Without Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Via The Laryngoscope Objectives/Hypothesis Hypothyroidism is a relatively common complication of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment. The objective of this study was to determine whether the addition of programmed death ligand‐1 (PD‐1) or programmed death ligand‐1 (PD‐L1) inhibition (anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 therapy) to standard treatment increases the risk of hypothyroidism in HNSCC. Study Design Retrospective Cohort. Methods This is a retrospective, single institutional cohort study. Patients who received radiotherapy (RT) for HNSCC were identified in the electronic medical record. Patient factors collected include age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, alcohol use, Charlson comorbidity index, and HNSCC treatment records. The rate of hypothyroidism for patients with HNSCC receiving RT (+/− chemotherapy and surgery) (RT group, n = 101) was compared to that of HNSCC patients receiving RT (+/− chemotherapy and surgery) + anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 therapy, either concurrently or after RT (RT + anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 group, n = 38). Results There was no significant difference in the rate of clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism between the two groups. Multinomial logistic regression found no significant difference in hypothyroidism based on age, sex, or BMI. Conclusions The addition of anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 therapy to standard HNSCC treatment does not significantly increase the risk of developing hypothyroidism. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope, 2021 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.