Brief Report: Real-World Outcomes in Patients Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Lung Cancer Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Background: Lung cancer is the most common non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining cancer in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). PLWH were initially excluded from clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) because of safety and efficacy concerns; little is known about real-world rates of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and outcomes in PLWH with lung cancer treated with ICIs. Methods: Adults (age ≥18 y) diagnosed with lung cancer and treated with ICIs between 2015 and 2021 were identified from the Merative MarketScan database. Patients were stratified into the following two cohorts: PLWH and PLWoH (people living without human immunodeficiency virus). We evaluated rates of irAEs and estimated overall survival (OS) between groups with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis; survival function was calculated from ICI initiation to death or last follow-up. We used the log-rank test to assess statistical differences in survival between cohorts. Conclusions: We found similar rates of irAEs and OS in real-world populations of PLWH and PLWoH with lung cancer treated with ICIs. Further research is needed to identify predictors of toxicities.