SynthesisTargeted oncology2021
Risk of Infection with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Targeted oncology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systemic treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced psoriasis: Inference-based guidance.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2025Pooled it
- Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immunotherapy for the treatment of gynecologic cancer.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2023Guideline
- Simultaneous Durvalumab and Platinum-Based Chemoradiotherapy in Unresectable Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The Phase III PACIFIC-2 Study.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2025Trial
- National trends in infection-related mortality among US cancer decedents in the immunotherapy era (1999-2023).Medicine · 2026Article
- A prospective clinical study on the effectiveness ofJournal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2026Article
- Review
- Immunotherapy and Breast Reconstruction: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions.Cancer medicine · 2026Review
- Incidence and risk factors of infections in lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy: a real-world retrospective study.American journal of cancer research · 2026Article
- Beyond Tumor Immunity: The Disruption of Endocrine and Infectious Homeostasis by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Unveiling the global research status and intellectual map of cancer and immunosuppressants.Discover oncology · 2025Article
- Crossing the Barrier:Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Review Article: Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Era of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2025Review
- The Impact of Infections in Patients Treated with Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Increased Tuberculosis Reactivation Risk in Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Based Therapy.The oncologist · 2024Article
- Rapid tumor progression complicated with liver abscess in a patient with gastric cancer receiving nivolumab therapy.International cancer conference journal · 2024Article
- [Side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy : What intensive care specialists need to know].Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin · 2024Review
- Case report: Fatal overwhelming post-splenectomy infection in a patient with metastatic angiosarcoma treated with immunotherapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Immune checkpoint inhibitor increased mortality in lung cancer patients withFrontiers in oncology · 2024Article
- Impact of Infections in Patients Receiving Pembrolizumab-Based Therapies for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.Cancers · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe relative risk (RR) of infection for patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is unknown.
objectivesThis study evaluated the risk of infection for patients with solid tumors undergoing ICI therapy based on a systematic review and meta-analysis. PATIENTS AND
methodsThe Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Pubmed databases were searched up to 1 December 2020. Randomized trials comparing any ICI alone, with chemotherapy (CT), or with other agents versus placebo, CT, or other agents were included. Three independent reviewers extracted the data. The primary outcome was the RR of all-grade (G) and G3-5 infections for patients receiving ICI-based treatments. Random or fixed-effect models were used according to statistical heterogeneity.
resultsA total of 21,451 patients from N = 36 studies were eligible. ICIs were associated with a similar risk of all-grade infections (RR = 1.02; 95% CI 0.84-1.24; P = 0.85) versus non-ICI treatments (G1-5 events: 9.6 versus 8.3%). When the ICIs alone were compared to CT, their use was associated with 42% less risk of all-grade infections (RR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.4-0.85; P = 0.01). Compared to CT, the combination of ICIs and CT increased the risk of all-grade (RR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.23-1.53; P < 0.01) and severe infections (RR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.17-1.96; P < 0.01). In anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4, monotherapy, and combination trials, the RR of all-grade infections was 0.72 (95% CI 0.49-1.05; P = 0.09), 1.18 (95% CI 0.95-1.46; P = 0.13), 1.74 (95% CI 1.13-2.67; P = 0.01), 0.97 (95% CI 0.79-1.19; P = 0.75) and 2.26 (95% CI 1.34-3.8; P < 0.01), respectively.
conclusionsCompared to CT alone, ICIs were safer and are recommended for frail patients. Conversely, CT + ICIs or ICIs combinations increased infection risk. Further studies are required to identify high-risk patients and evaluate the need for CT dose reduction or prophylactic myeloid growth factors.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.