Topline
Cancer patients are less protected against Covid-19 than others after receiving a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, early findings from the world’s first case-study study show a recommendation, which could leave patients vulnerable under immunization strategies such as the UK, where they delay the second dose in order to get the vaccine as many people as possible in a shorter time.
Cancer patients are less protected by a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine, a new study suggests
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Key facts
The study, published as a preclinical and not peer-reviewed, looked at the level of protection provided by a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after three weeks in the 205 people recruited.
When tested for antibody responses in 205 volunteers (151 of them with cancer), only 39% with severe cancer and 13% with blood cancer showed a response.
In comparison, 97% of people without cancer showed an antibody response.
A second dose of the vaccine after three weeks caused significant improvement, with 95% of solid cancer patients showing recognizable antibodies, the researchers said.
Based on the findings, Dr Sheeba Irshad, senior lecturer at King’s College London and senior author of the study, said she would “recommend an urgent review of the [U.K.’s] vaccination strategy for clinically at-risk groups. ”
Professor Adrian Hayday, also from King’s College London, said the study showed that the vaccine “can be of great benefit to cancer patients as well, but for the most part this is just after increase, ”urging patients to be“ vaccinated and promptly motivated ”with their responses carefully monitored.
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Professor Stephen Evans, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said it was important to note that the response numbers quoted in the paper differ from the “Vaccine Effectiveness”. measured in the large trials, warning that the two sets should not be “compared.” He said the data showed that vaccines may not protect people with cancer as well as they do without them, but said this had not yet been proven conclusively. ”
Key background
The findings, while predictable, provide reason to consider vaccination strategies that delay the second dose in an effort to stimulate immunity in as many people as possible. The UK is well known for this, circulating views out before 12 weeks according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This approach was supported by the World Health Organization, although it stopped short of the British approach with only a six-week delay between recommended doses in “exceptional circumstances”. “Findings from real-world studies have confirmed the approach, with the various vaccines offering a“ high level of protection ”and delayed delivery after just one dose.
Further reading
Delay in second dose of vaccine leaves cancer patients vulnerable to virus (KCL)
AstraZeneca vaccine helps slow delivery of covid-19, the first 76% effective dose for at least three months, studies (Forbes) found
Cancer patients do not have the same protection after the first injection (BBC)
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