BackgroundSince 2011 six immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been approved to treat patients with many advanced solid tumor and hematological malignancies to improve their prognosis. Case reports of their endocrine immune-related adverse events [irAEs]) are increasingly published as more real-world patients with these malignancies are treated with these drugs. They alert physicians of a drug’s AEs (which may change during a drug’s life cycle) and contribute to post-marketing safety surveillance. Using a modified framework of Arksey and O’Malley, we conducted a scoping review of the spectrum and characteristics of ICI-induced endocrinopathies case reports before and after ICIs are marketed.MethodsIn July 2017, we searched, without date and language restrictions, 4 citation databases for ICI-induced endocrinopathies. We also hand-searched articles’ references, contents of relevant journals, and ran supplemental searches to capture recent reports through January 2018. For this study, a case should have information on type of cancer, type of ICI, clinical presentation, biochemical tests, treatment plus temporal association of ICI initiation with endocrinopathies. Two endocrinologists independently extracted the data which were then summarized and categorized.ResultsOne hundred seventy nine articles reported 451 cases of ICI-induced endocrinopathies - 222 hypopituitarism, 152 thyroid disorders, 66 diabetes mellitus, 6 primary adrenal insufficiencies, 1 ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome, 1 hypoparathyroidism and 3 diabetes insipidus cases. Their clinical presentations reflect hormone excess or deficiency. Some were asymptomatic and others life-threatening. One or more endocrine glands could be affected. Polyglandular endocrinopathies could present simultaneously or in sequence. Many occur within 5 months of therapy initiation; a few occurred after ICI was stopped. Mostly irreversible, they required long-term hormone replacement. High dose steroids were used when non-endocrine AEs coexisted or as therapy in adrenal insufficiency. There was variability of information in the case reports but all met the study criteria to make a diagnosis.ConclusionsThe spectrum of ICI-induced endocrinopathies is wide (5 glands affected) and their presentation varied (12 endocrinopathies). Clinical reasoning integrating clinical, biochemical and treatment information is needed to properly diagnose and manage them. Physicians should be vigilant for their occurrence and be able to diagnose, investigate and manage them appropriately at onset and follow-up.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40842-018-0073-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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OBJECTIVEThis study investigated the safety and efficacy of sitagliptin (Januvia) for the inpatient management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in general medicine and surgery patients.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSIn this pilot, multicenter, open-label, randomized study, patients (n = 90) with a known history of T2D treated with diet, oral antidiabetic agents, or low total daily dose of insulin (≤0.4 units/kg/day) were randomized to receive sitagliptin alone or in combination with glargine insulin (glargine) or to a basal bolus insulin regimen (glargine and lispro) plus supplemental (correction) doses of lispro. Major study outcomes included differences in daily blood glucose (BG), frequency of treatment failures (defined as three or more consecutive BG >240 mg/dL or a mean daily BG >240 mg/dL), and hypoglycemia between groups.RESULTSGlycemic control improved similarly in all treatment groups. There were no differences in the mean daily BG after the 1st day of treatment (P = 0.23), number of readings within a BG target of 70 and 140 mg/dL (P = 0.53), number of BG readings >200 mg/dL (P = 0.23), and number of treatment failures (P > 0.99). The total daily insulin dose and number of insulin injections were significantly less in the sitagliptin groups compared with the basal bolus group (both P < 0.001). There were no differences in length of hospital stay (P = 0.78) or in the number of hypoglycemic events between groups (P = 0.86).CONCLUSIONSResults of this pilot indicate that treatment with sitagliptin alone or in combination with basal insulin is safe and effective for the management of hyperglycemia in general medicine and surgery patients with T2D.

A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) is now at global pandemic levels causing significant morbidity and mortality. Patients with diabetes are particularly vulnerable and more likely to get severe complications when infected with this virus. Although the information continues to emerge, here we provide our perspective on initial outcomes observed in hospitalized patients with diabetes and the potential role played by the proinflammatory metabolic state in these patients that promotes fertile ground for the virus’ inflammatory surge, resulting in severe insulin resistance and severe hyperglycemia. The rapidly evolving renal failure, hypotension, pressor and steroid use, and variable nutritional support further complicates their management. Thus, timely implementation of glucose management protocols addressing these complex scenarios while also following COVID-19–related trajectories in inflammatory biomarkers and being cognizant of the health care provider exposure may substantially affect morbidity and mortality.