Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39306693›Full record

ArticleCancer2025

Influenza vaccine effectiveness in immunocompromised patients with cancer: A Danish nationwide register-based cohort study.

Lau Amdisen, Lars Pedersen, Niels Abildgaard, Christine Stabell Benn, Deirdre Cronin-Fenton, Signe Sørup

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Vaccines for preventing infections in adults with solid tumours.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lau AmdisenDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5575-9255
Lars PedersenDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9341-3888
Niels AbildgaardHematology Research Unit, Department of Hematology, Odense University Hospital and Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6852-2014
Christine Stabell BennBandim Health Project, OPEN, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6102-3810
Deirdre Cronin-FentonDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9738-2284
Signe SørupDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1942-683X

Funding

The Danish Cancer Research Foundation FID2014816The Danish Cancer Society R231-A13671
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInfluenza vaccination is free of charge for Danish citizens with acquired immunodeficiency but recommendations do not specifically target patients with cancer. This study investigated whether influenza vaccination reduces the main outcome of overall mortality and the secondary outcomes of influenza requiring treatment, pneumonia, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer.

methodsThis was a register-based nationwide cohort study. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for overall mortality and secondary outcomes were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Analyses were conducted separately for four subgroups: patients aged <65 years with solid tumors, patients aged ≥65 years with solid tumors, patients aged <65 years with hematological cancer, and patients aged ≥65 years with hematological cancer.

resultsA total of 53,249 adult patients with solid tumors who received chemotherapy and 22,182 adult patients with hematological cancer were followed for up to five influenza seasons in the study period of 2007-2018. In the main analysis covering December-March, influenza vaccination was associated with reduced overall mortality in all four subgroups. The reduction was most pronounced in patients with hematological cancer aged <65 years (aHR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.51-0.87) and smallest in patients with solid tumors aged <65 years (aHR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.99). In sensitivity analyses covering January-March, the aHR was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.65-1.16) in patients with hematological cancer aged <65 years and 1.01 (95% CI, 0.92-1.10) in patients with solid tumors aged <65 years. Results for the secondary outcomes were inconclusive.

conclusionsThe results of this study cannot reject that influenza vaccination reduces overall mortality in immunocompromised patients with cancer. The results must be interpreted with caution because of potential unmeasured confounding, which can result in the overestimation of influenza vaccine effectiveness.

Indexed as

Immunocompromised HostInfluenza, HumanInfluenza VaccinesNeoplasmsRegistriesAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesDenmarkFemaleHematologic NeoplasmsHumansMaleMiddle AgedVaccinationInfluenza Vaccineschemotherapyhematological cancerimmunosuppressioninfluenza vaccinationseasonal influenzasolid tumors

Identifiers

PMID39306693
PMCPMC11694166

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.