EC Microbiology

Currently, in cancer or lung-cancer patients, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as anti-CTLA-4, anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibodies, etc. are widely prescribed as single agent or in combination with other anticancer- treatment modalities [1]. Due to immune-associated adverse events (iaAEs), these ICIs can facilitate antitumor effects, such as interstitial pneumonitis, endocrine-gland-disorders-associated abnormal hormone secretion [2] that can be caused and aggravated by mRNA-based-COVID-19 vaccines (Figure 1) [1,3].

1. Hibino M., et al. “Safety and immunogenicity of mRNA vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in patients with lung cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors: a multicenter observational study in Japan”. Journal of Thoracic Oncology 8 (2022): 1002-1013.
2. Brahmer JR., et al. “Management of immune-related adverse events in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline”. Journal of Clinical Oncology 36 (2018): 1714-1768.
3. Desage AL., et al. “Vaccination and immune checkpoint inhibitors: does vaccination increase the risk of immune-related adverse events?: a systematic review of literature”. American Journal of Clinical Oncology 44 (2021): 109-113.