609P - The association between thyroid function abnormalities and vitiligo induced by pembrolizumab regarding prognosis in patients with advanced melanoma

Background

Pembrolizumab, a checkpoint inhibitor, has revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma by harnessing the immune system to target cancer cells. However, its use is associated with immune-related adverse events, including vitiligo and thyroid function abnormalities. This study aims to investigate the association between thyroid function abnormalities and vitiligo induced by pembrolizumab, specifically focusing on the prognosis in patients with advanced melanoma.

Methods

A retrospective survey of medical records and treatment outcomes of patients with locally advanced/metastatic melanoma receiving pembrolizumab was conducted. The study reported data on the incidence of vitiligo, thyroid function abnormalities, and their impact on prognosis. Data was collected from multiple oncology centers across Iraq. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression were used for statistical analysis.

Results

One hundred cases with advanced melanoma were included in this study. The mean age of the samples was 55.8 ± 15.5 years old. Male to female ratio was 0.79. The Incidence of vitiligo was reported to be 27%, mainly in the survived-group (35.2%, P-value = 0.046). It took an average of 12 weeks for the development of vitiligo. The incidence of thyroid dysfunction was found to be 22%. The development of vitiligo significantly improved survival in patients with advanced melanoma (log-rank test = 0.043). On the other hand, the occurrence of thyroid dysfunction as an immune-side effect to treatment did not have an effect on the overall survival of the cohort.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest that there is an association between the incidence of vitiligo induced by pembrolizumab and overall survival in patients with advanced melanoma. However, no such relationship was found in regard to the development of thyroid dysfunction.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Dr. Ahmed Z. Al-Samaraee, Medical oncologist, Oncology teaching hospital, Baghdad Dr Maha S. Sahib, Clinical Pharmacist, Baghdad Dr Ayad R Alasadi, Medical oncologist, Al-Amal Hospital, Baghdad.

Legal entity responsible for the study

Oncology Teaching Hospital, Medical City Complex, Baghdad.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

The author has declared no conflicts of interest.