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Observational Study
. 2018 Oct;10(14):1229-1239.
doi: 10.2217/imt-2018-0080.

INfluenza Vaccine Indication During therapy with Immune checkpoint inhibitors: a transversal challenge. The INVIDIa study

Melissa Bersanelli  1 , Diana Giannarelli  2 , Paola Castrignanò  1 , Giuseppe Fornarini  3 , Stefano Panni  4 , Francesca Mazzoni  5 , Marcello Tiseo  1 , Sabrina Rossetti  6 , Elisabetta Gambale  7 , Ernesto Rossi  8 , Anselmo Papa  9 , Alessio Cortellini  10 , Cristian Lolli  11 , Raffaele Ratta  12 , Maria Michiara  1 , Michele Milella  13 , Emmanuele De Luca  14 , Mariella Sorarù  15 , Claudia Mucciarini  16 , Francesco Atzori  17 , Giuseppe Luigi Banna  18 , Leonardo La Torre  19 , Maria Giuseppa Vitale  20 , Francesco Massari  21 , Sara Elena Rebuzzi  3 , Gaetano Facchini  6 , Giovanni Schinzari  8 , Silverio Tomao  9 , Simona Bui  1 , Vanja Vaccaro  13 , Giuseppe Procopio  12 , Ugo De Giorgi  11 , Matteo Santoni  22 , Corrado Ficorella  10 , Roberto Sabbatini  20 , Antonio Maestri  19 , Clara Natoli  7 , Michele De Tursi  7 , Massimo Di Maio  14 , Elena Rapacchi  1 , Annagrazia Pireddu  17 , Teodoro Sava  15 , Helga Lipari  18 , Francesca Comito  21 , Elena Verzoni  12 , Francesco Leonardi  1 , Sebastiano Buti  1
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Free article
Observational Study

INfluenza Vaccine Indication During therapy with Immune checkpoint inhibitors: a transversal challenge. The INVIDIa study

Melissa Bersanelli et al. Immunotherapy. 2018 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

Aim: Considering the unmet need for the counseling of cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (CKI) about influenza vaccination, an explorative study was planned to assess flu vaccine efficacy in this population.

Methods: INVIDIa was a retrospective, multicenter study, enrolling consecutive advanced cancer outpatients receiving CKI during the influenza season 2016-2017.

Results: Of 300 patients, 79 received flu vaccine. The incidence of influenza syndrome was 24.1% among vaccinated, versus 11.8% of controls; odds ratio: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.23-4.59; p = 0.009. The clinical ineffectiveness of vaccine was more pronounced among elderly: 37.8% among vaccinated patients, versus 6.1% of unvaccinated, odds ratio: 9.28; 95% CI: 2.77-31.14; p < 0.0001.

Conclusion: Although influenza vaccine may be clinically ineffective in advanced cancer patients receiving CKI, it seems not to negatively impact the efficacy of anticancer therapy.

Keywords: immune checkpoint inhibitors; influenza syndrome; influenza vaccine.

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