Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with cancer: A joint analysis of OnCovid and ESMO-CoCARE registries

Background: As management and prevention strategies against Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) evolve, it is still uncertain whether prior exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) affects COVID-19 severity in patients (pts) with cancer. Method(s): In a joint analysis of ICI recipients from OnCovid (NCT04393974) and ESMO CoCARE registries, we assessed severity and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 in vaccinated and unvaccinated pts with cancer and explored whether prior immune-related adverse events (irAEs) influenced outcome from COVID-19. Result(s): The study population consisted of 240 pts diagnosed with COVID-19 between Jan 2020 and Feb 2022 exposed to ICI within 3 months prior to COVID-19 diagnosis, with a 30-day case fatality rate (CFR30) of 23.6% (95%CI: 17.8-30.7%). 42 (17.5%) were fully vaccinated prior to COVID-19 and experienced decreased CFR30 (4.8% vs 28.1%, p=0.001), hospitalization rate (27.5% vs 63.2%, p<0.001), requirement of oxygen therapy (15.8% vs 41.5%, p=0.003), COVID-19 complication rate (11.9% vs 34.6%, p=0.004), and COVID-19-specific therapy (26.3% vs 57.9%, p=0.001) compared with unvaccinated pts. IPTW-fitted multivariable analysis, following a clustered-robust correction for the data source (OnCovid vs ESMO CoCARE), confirmed that vaccinated pts experienced a decreased risk of death at 30 days (aOR 0.08, 95%CI: 0.01-0.69). 38 pts (15.8%) experienced at least 1 irAE of any grade at any time prior to COVID-19, at a median time of 3.2 months (0.13-48.7) from COVID-19 diagnosis. IrAEs occurred independently of baseline characteristics except for primary tumour (p=0.037) and were associated with a significantly decreased CFR30 (10.8% vs 26.0%, p=0.0462) additionally confirmed by the IPTW-fitted multivariable analysis (aOR: 0.47, 95%CI: 0.33-0.67). Pts who experienced irAEs also presented a higher median absolute lymphocyte count at COVID-19 (1.4 vs 0.8 109 cells/L, p=0.009). Conclusion(s): Anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination reduces morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in ICI recipients. History of irAEs might identify pts with pre-existing protection from COVID-19, warranting further investigation of adaptive immune determinants of protection from SARS-CoV-2. Clinical trial identification: NCT04393974 OnCovid. Legal entity responsible for the study: Imperial College London & ESMO. Funding(s): Imperial Biomedical Research Centre ESMO. Disclosure: A. Cortellini: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: MSD, OncoC4;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Eisai, AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Expert Testimony: Iqvia. D.J. Pinato: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: ViiV Healthcare, Bayer, BMS, Roche, Eisai, Falk Foundation;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Mina Therapuetics, Eisai, Roche, DaVolterra, AstraZeneca. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Copyright © 2022 European Society for Medical Oncology

COVID-19 and cancer: First report of the ESMO international, registry-based, cohort study (ESMO CoCARE)

Background: At the height of the first wave of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, ESMO mobilized to accelerate research for the understanding of COVID-19 in cancer patients (pts). ESMO CoCARE is an international collaborative registry-based, cohort study, gathering real-world data and information from healthcare professionals about the natural history, treatment and outcomes of COVID-19 in cancer pts. Methods: ESMO CoCARE captures information on pts with any solid or hematologic malignancy (including cancer survivors free of disease for ≥5 years) presenting with a COVID-19 diagnosis in any of the participating centers. Data collected since 06/2020 include demographics, cancer characteristics and status, co-morbidities, COVID-19 clinical features, course, management and outcome. Factors influencing COVID-19 severity (hospitalization +/- ICU support needed) and recovery are investigated using multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination method. The study is ongoing. Results: The current analysis includes 1551 registered pts (19 countries;87% pts from 23 European centers, 7% and 6% pts from 5 Northern African and 7 Asian centers), with COVID-19 diagnosis as of 11/03/2021. Median age was 64 years, with the majority female (52%), cancer stage III/IV (58%), and on active cancer treatment (60%). 65% had severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization, with 11% receiving intensive care. In multivariable analysis, in addition to demographics (male gender, older age, other ethnicity than Caucasian, lower BMI), co-morbidities and symptomatic COVID-19, severe disease was associated to higher ECOG PS (Odds Ratio (OR)2 vs 0=5.9, OR1 vs 0=2.1), hematological malignancies (OR hemvs solid =2.0), and active/progressive cancer status (OR progressivevs no evidence of disease =1.6). 98% of pts with mild disease recovered, as opposed to only 70% of those with severe disease. Cancer stage was an additional prognostic factor for recovery (ORI/II vs IV =3.4). Conclusions: Demographic characteristics, type and status of cancer, and symptomatology of COVID-19 increase the probability of severe disease, while advanced cancer stage is also associated with the risk of death. Legal entity responsible for the study: Institut Curie, Paris, France. Funding: ESMO - European Society for Medical Oncology. Disclosure: E. Romano: Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, Investigator-initiated trial: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, Investigator-initiated trial: BMS;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Merck;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Pierre Fabre. R. Lee: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: BMS. A. Croitoru: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Ipsen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Funding: Bristol-Myers Squibb;Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Funding: Merck;Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Funding: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Funding: Servier;Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Funding: Five Prime Therapeutics;Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Funding: Amgen;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Travel funding: Merck;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, travel funding: Servier;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, travel funding: Roche. S. Susnjar: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria and/or advisory fees: Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria and/or advisory fees: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria and/or advisory fees: Novartis;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria and/or advisory fees: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Honoraria and/or advisory fees: Amicus. M. Rossi: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, travel and personal fees: Novartis;Financial terests, Personal, Other, travel and personal fees: Ipsen. O.A. Michielin: Financial Interests, Personal, Other, personal fees: Bristol-Myers Squibb;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, personal fees: MSD;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, personal fees: Novartis;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, personal fees: Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, personal fees: Amgen;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, personal fees: NeraCare GmbH. G. Pentheroudakis: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Amgen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Bristol Myers Squibb;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Lilly;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Merck;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: MSD;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Roche;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: AbbVie;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: Amgen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator, Coordinating PI: Amgen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: Boehringer Ingelheim;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Bristol Myers Squibb;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: Bristol Myers Squibb;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: Debbiopharm;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Enorasis;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Genekor;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Ipsen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: Ipsen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: Lilly;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Merck;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: Merck;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: MSD;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: MSD;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: Roche;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: Roche;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Sanofi;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator, Coodinating Pi: Servier;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding: Servier. S. Peters: Consultation / Advisory role: AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Beigene, Biocartis, Bio Invent, Blueprint Medicines, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clovis, Daiichi Sankyo, Debiopharm, Eli Lilly, Elsevier, F. Hoffmann-La Roche/Genentech, Foundation Medicine, Illumina, Incyte, IQVIA, Janssen, Medscape, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Merck Serono, Merrimack, Mirati, Novartis, PharmaMar, Phosplatin Therapeutics, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics, Takeda, Vaccibody. Talk in a company’s organized public event: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, e-cancer, Eli Lilly, F. Hoffmann-La Roche/Genentech, Illumina, Medscape, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Novartis, PER, Pfizer, Prime, RTP, Sanofi, Takeda. Receipt of grants/research supports: (Sub)investigator in trials (institutional financial support for clinical trials) sponsored by Amgen, AstraZeneca, Biodesix, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clovis, F. Hoffmann-La Roche/Genentech, GSK, Illumina, Lilly, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Merck Serono, Mirati, Novartis, and Pfizer, Phosplatin Therapeutics. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.