REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Thyroid Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1584675
This article is part of the Research TopicThyroid Disorders Associated with Cancer ImmunotherapyView all articles
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-induced Thyroiditis and Its Potential Mechanisms
Provisionally accepted
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
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The expanding clinical utilization of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in oncology has brought increasing attention to thyroid dysfunction as a prominent immune-related adverse event (irAE). Elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ICI-induced thyroiditis represents a critical step toward developing evidence-based diagnostic protocols and targeted therapeutic interventions for cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy. This comprehensive review systematically examines current advances in understanding the etiopathogenesis of ICI-induced thyroiditis. First, we described pharmacological characterization of ICIs, then discussed multifactorial analysis of cellular and molecular contributors to thyroid autoimmunity following ICI administration, and finally analyzed critical evaluation of emerging hypotheses regarding primary pathogenic drivers. Through this review, we aim to establish mechanistic connections between ICI pharmacodynamics and thyroid tissue immunopathology.
Keywords: Immune-related adverse events, immune checkpoint inhibitors, Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced thyroiditis, Thyrotoxicosis, Hypothyroidism
Received: 27 Feb 2025; Accepted: 19 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mao, Mao, Jiameng, Wang and Mao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chaoming Mao, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
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