COVID-19 vaccination is associated with enhanced efficacy of anti-PD-(L)1 immunotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients: a real-world study

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine has played a major role in ending the pandemic. However, little is known about the influence of COVID-19 vaccine on the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Objectives The goal of this study is to explore whether COVID-19 vaccine impacts the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in NSCLC patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the survival data of ICI-treated 104 patients with stage III–IV NSCLC, who either received COVID-19 vaccination (n = 25) or no vaccination (n = 79). The potential risk factors, in particular roles of COVID-19 vaccination in the efficacy of ICIs in these patients, were evaluated. Results Our results showed significantly improved ORR (28.0% vs. 11.39%, p = 0.05) and DCR (88.0% vs. 54.43%, p = 0.005) in the COVID-19 vaccinated group compared with the non-vaccinated group. Regarding the long-term survival benefits, COVID-19 vaccine showed profound influence both on the PFS (HR = 0.16, p = 0.021) and OS (HR = 0.168, p = 0.019) in patients with NSCLC under ICIs treatment. The PFS ( p < 0.001) or OS ( p < 0.001) was significantly improved in the COVID-19 vaccinated group, compared with the non-vaccinated group. Moreover, CD4 T cell ( p = 0.047) level was higher in the COVID-19 vaccinated group than in the non-vaccinated group. Conclusions COVID-19 vaccination enhances anti-PD-1 immunotherapy efficacy in patients with stage III–IV NSCLC, suggesting that COVID-19 vaccination may provide additional benefit to NSCLC patients.