See article, p. 1121.

A key issue in oncology practice during the COVID-19 pandemic is whether PD-1 blockade affects the severity of COVID-19 in patients with cancer. PD-1 blockade may increase COVID-19 severity by contributing to hyperactive immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection—or, alternatively, may reduce severity by enhancing control of initial viral infection. To minimize lung cancer as a confounder, Luo and colleagues assessed the outcomes of concurrent COVID-19 and lung cancer in 69 consecutive patients at a single institution in New York City. They performed manual annotation, including collecting data from a detailed self-reported smoking survey. PD-1 blockade was not a notable risk factor for increased COVID-19 severity or death among these patients, regardless of whether patients received the immunotherapy recently or at any point prior to infection. There was a slight, statistically insignificant numeric increase in severity with PD-1 blockade, but controlling for smoking history—which is an...

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