Health

Covid-19 booster vaccine also protects cancer patients!


If cancer patients become infected, they are not only more susceptible to developing severe COVID-19 but are also at risk of disrupting their cancer treatment or monitoring. Therefore, vaccination against COVID is recommended for all cancer patients, as well as a third “boost” vaccination, provided that immunity declines over time. However, to date there is only limited data on the effectiveness of this third vaccination in cancer patients.

Researchers at MedUni Vienna, led by Matthias Preusser (Department of Oncology at the Medical Faculty of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital of Vienna) work with the Department of Laboratory Medicine and the Division of Infectious Diseases and Thermal Medicine (Medical Department of MedUni Vienna), as well as the Haemato-Oncology Day Clinic at Franz Tappeiner Hospital in Merano (Italy), the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Interface and the Salzburg Intelligent Data Analysis Laboratory at the University of Salzburg and the Department of Logistics and Production Management at the University of Klagenfurt, have now studied the level of antibodies to the anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein present after the third dose of vaccination in 439 cancer patients. by blood test.

Preliminary analysis showed that antibody levels decreased 3 to 6 months after the second vaccination in patients with solid tumors and those with hematological malignancies not receiving antiretroviral therapy. B cells. First authors Julia Berger and Maximilian Mair of the Division of Oncology report: “The cancer patient’s antibody levels rebounded after the third booster, but perhaps they were still good enough. to protect. “

Blood cancer patients do not develop any protection

Patients with hematological cancers such as leukemia or lymphoma are often treated with CD20-lowering therapy, which inhibits the very cells responsible for developing the necessary antibodies. In such cases, even the third vaccination may not bring about the desired immune response.

Matthias Preusser explains: “Such patients, who are not likely to be adequately protected, are at risk and must be especially careful when socializing and rigorous in their adherence to measures. proper hygiene. Drugs that inhibit viral replication or intravenous administration of engineered antibodies may be considered a possible strategy to improve COVID-19 protection in vaccine-unresponsive patients. full. “However, we do not yet have sufficient research data on optimal COVID-19 prevention in immunosuppressed patients,” said Preusser.

Minimal side effects

The most common adverse events after the third dose were local pain (46.9%), fatigue (15.6%), and fever/chills (10.0%), and were therefore similar to those observed people without cancer. “Based on these study results and the fact that adverse events are tolerable, we recommend that all cancer patients receive a third booster,” explains Matthias Preusser. In addition to antibody-producing B cells, we also observed cellular immune responses in NK cells. This in itself can make the difference between mild illness and severe illness. “

Source: Eurekalert



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