Impact of PD-1 Blockade on Severity of COVID-19 in Patients with Lung Cancers. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to dramatic changes in oncology practice. It is currently unknown whether programmed death 1 (PD-1) blockade therapy affects severity of illness from COVID-19 in patients with cancer. To address this uncertainty, we examined consecutive patients with lung cancers who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and examined severity on the basis of no or prior receipt of PD-1 blockade. Overall, the severity of COVID-19 in patients with lung cancer was high, including need for hospitalization in more than half of patients and death in nearly a quarter. Prior PD-1 blockade was, as expected, associated with smoking status. After adjustment for smoking status, PD-1 blockade exposure was not associated with increased risk of severity of COVID-19. PD-1 blockade does not appear to affect the severity of COVID-19 in patients with lung cancers. SIGNIFICANCE: A key question in oncology practice amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is whether PD-1 blockade therapy affects COVID-19 severity. Our analysis of patients with lung cancers supports the safety of PD-1 blockade treatment to achieve optimal cancer outcomes.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1079.

publication date

  • May 12, 2020

Research

keywords

  • Coronavirus
  • Coronavirus Infections
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC7416461

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85086787275

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0596

PubMed ID

  • 32398243

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 10

issue

  • 8