Association of immune-related adverse events with COVID-19 pneumonia in lung cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors: a cross-sectional study in China

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are commonly used to treat lung cancer patients, but their use can lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which pose a challenge for treatment strategies. The impact of irAEs on the incidence of COVID-19 pneumonia in lung cancer patients during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between irAEs and COVID-19 pneumonia in lung cancer patients receiving ICIs. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of lung cancer patients who received ICIs and were infected with COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant between December 2022 and February 2023 in China. We collected data on irAEs and COVID-19 outcomes. Logistic regression analyses were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between irAEs and the incidence of COVID-19 pneumonia. RESULTS: A total of 193 patients were enrolled, with 72 patients (37.30%) in the irAEs group and 121 patients (62.70%) in the non-irAEs group. Twenty-six patients (13.47%) developed COVID-19 pneumonia and 6 patients (3.11%) progressed to severe cases after COVID-19 infection. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the lung cancer patients who experienced irAEs was significantly associated with a higher incidence rate of COVID-19 pneumonia (OR = 9.56, 95%CI: 2.21–41.33; P = 0.0025). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that lung cancer patients receiving ICIs and experiencing irAEs may have a higher risk of developing COVID-19 pneumonia due to the Omicron variant. Therefore, close monitoring of these patients during the COVID-19 pandemic is necessary to mitigate this risk.