The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tocilizumab as second/third line treatment in patients with Active Moderate-to-Severe Corticosteroid-Resistant Thyroid Eye Disease.
Graves' Orbitopathy (GO) is an autoimmune disease that involves orbital tissues, leading to temporary or permanent damage to the eye. Although GO is a rare condition, it negatively affects the quality of life in the majority of patients. In the majority of european centers, high-dose intravenous glucocorticoid (GCs) therapy remains the first-line treatment in patients with active, moderate-to-severe GO. However, GCs are effective in only 45-60% of patients, with a high probability of diseases relapse (10-40%) or disease progression to dysthyroid optic neuropathy (up to 10%). Due to limited efficacy of GCs, unpredictable relapses and progression of GO, the management of GO remains a challenge. A few studies have demonstrated that interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockade with tocilizumab (TCZ) is effective in GC-refractory GO. However, the long-term outcomes of TCZ remain scarce. Therefore, the investigators are planning to assess the therapy with Tocilizumab, regarding clinical outcomes and adverse events. The investigators plan to include a total of 30 patients with active, moderate-to-severe, corticosteroid-resistant GO over a period of approximately 4 years.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
30
Tocilizumab administrated at a dose of 8 mg/kg, given once every four weeks
Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Medical University of Warsaw
Warsaw, Poland
RECRUITINGDisease improvement
Proportion of patients improved at 16, 24 and 48 weeks as assessed by a composite ophthalmic score. A response to treatment will be considered positive in the case of an improvement of at least 2 of the following features in 1 eye, without concomitant deterioration in the other eye: * decrease in eyelid aperture by at least 2 mm measured with a ruler * decrease in proptosis by at least 2 mm measured with Hertel Exophthalmometer * increase in eyelid motility by at least 8° assessed by ophthalmologist or improvement of Bahn-Gorman diplopia score (Grade I - intermittent diplopia, Grade II - Inconstant diplopia, Grade III - Constant diplopia) * decrease in 7-item (spontaneous retrobulbar pain, pain on attempted upward or downward gaze, redness of eyelids, redness of conjunctiva, sweeling of caruncle or plica, swelling of eyelids, swelling of conjunctiva) clinical activity score (CAS) by at least 2 points.
Time frame: at 16, 24 and 48 weeks
Improvement of quality of life
Improvement of quality of life according to the disease-specific quality of life questionnaire in Graves' orbitopathy (GO-QoL) at 16, 24 and 48 weeks. All Go-QoL questions will be scored as 'severely limited' (one point), a 'little limited' (two points), or 'not limited at all' (three points). The questions will be transformed from 0 to 100 by the following formula: total score= (raw score- 8)/16 x100. An improvement in QoL wil be considered, if there will be an increase of 6 or more points on either one (or both) the GO-QoL scales (functioning and appearance);
Time frame: at 16, 24 and 48 weeks
Disease inactivation
Proportion of patients achieving response in reduction of clinical activity score (CAS) defined as reduction of ≥ 2 points from baseline in the study eye without deterioration (≥ 2 point increase) of CAS in the fellow eye
Time frame: at 16, 24 and 48 weeks
Proportion of patients achieving response in specific GO signs and symptoms
* reduction of proptosis of least 2 mm without deterioration (≥ 2 mm increase) of proptosis in the fellow eye measured with Hertel Exophthalmometer. * diplopia; proportion of participants with baseline diplopia \> 0 and a reduction of ≥ 1 grade assessed according to Bahn-Gorman diplopia score (Grade I - intermittent diplopia, Grade II - Inconstant diplopia, Grade III - Constant diplopia) * ocular motility; an increase of at least 8° assessed by ophthalmologist * palpebral aperture; an increase of at least 2 mm measured with a ruler * reduction in spontaneous or gaze-evoked retrobulbar pain - a binary scale (yes/no) * reduction in swelling of eyelids (severe/moderate/mild), redness of eyelids (yes/no), redness of conjunctiva (yes/no), sweeling of caruncle or plica (yes/no), swelling of conjunctiva (yes/no)
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Time frame: at 16, 24 and 48 weeks
Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v5.0
Incidence of adverse events, with severity determined according to NCI CTCAE v5.0
Time frame: from 0 to 16 weeks
Decrease in concentration of thyrotropin receptor antibodies
Decrease in concentration of thyrotropin receptor antibodies
Time frame: at 4, 8, 12, 16, 24 and 48 weeks
Decrease in levels of proinflammatory cytokines
Decrease in serum levels of interleukin-17a and interleukin-23
Time frame: at 4, 8, 12, 16, 24 and 48 weeks
Number of the rehabilitative surgeries performed after immunosuppressive therapy
Rehabilitative surgery includes orbital decompression, squint surgery, lid lengthening, and blepharoplasty/browplasty
Time frame: at 48 weeks
The rate of disease relapse
Proportion of patients with worsening of symptoms associated with GO after a period of improvement or stability. The relapse of the disease will be noted in case of a deterioration of at least 2 of the following features in 1 eye: * increase in eyelid aperture by at least 2 mm measured with a ruler , * increase in exophthalmos by at least 2 mm measured with Hertel Exophthalmometer, * decrease in eyelid motility by at least 8° assessed by ophthalmologist or deterioration of ≥ 1 grade in Bahn-Gorman diplopia score (Grade I - intermittent diplopia, Grade II - Inconstant diplopia, Grade III - Constant diplopia), * increase in 7-item (spontaneous retrobulbar pain, pain on attempted upward or downward gaze, redness of eyelids, redness of conjunctiva, sweeling of caruncle or plica, swelling of eyelids, swelling of conjunctiva) clinical activity score (CAS) by at least 2 points.
Time frame: at 48 weeks
Decrease in proptosis by at least 2 mm assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Measurement of exophthalmos (the distance between the interzygomatic line and the anterior surface of the globe - corneal apex) on axial T2W orbital MRI images performed at week 16 in comparison to baseline.
Time frame: at 16 weeks