Evaluation of the safety of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors for immunotherapy in patients with malignant tumors after COVID‐19 infection: A single‐center cohort study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction An increasing body of evidence suggests a close association between COVID‐19 infection and the safety of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitor therapy in cancer patients. However, the available data concerning these impacts remain limited and occasionally contradictory. Material and Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of cancer patients who received PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitor therapy at the same institution from November 2022 to May 2023. After excluding patients with missing information, a total of 224 cases were included. In our study, immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) that occurred during the hospitalization of patients were included in the analysis. Further analysis of inter‐subgroup differences was conducted following a 1:2 propensity score matching. Statistical analyses were performed using the Fisher's exact, chi‐squared, and Mann–Whitney U‐tests. Result The results showed that no statistically significant differences between the two subgroups in the incidence of irAEs, changes in immune function before and after using PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors, and alterations in hepatic and renal function (p > 0.05). Conclusion Our findings suggest that infection with COVID‐19 does not significantly impact the safety of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors in cancer patients. Most cancer patients used PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors during COVID‐19 infection (asymptomatic or mild infection) did not experience exacerbation of their underlying condition, nor did they exhibit a substantial increase in toxic side effects.

Keywords

• cancer
• COVID‐19 infection
• immune‐related adverse events
• PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitor
• propensity score matching