This is shown by research by UMC Groningen, Erasmus MC and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek in Amsterdam
The corona vaccine is safe and effective in most patients with a solid tumor who are treated with immunotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination thereof. This is the result of research by UMC Groningen, Erasmus MC and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek in Amsterdam, in collaboration with RIVM and the Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Netherlands.
The results of the so-called VOICE study (Vaccination against covid In CancEr) were presented on 20 September at the congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology and will soon be published in the medical journal The Lancet Oncology.
Antibodies
During the study, 503 patients with solid tumors and 240 control subjects, all partners of the patients, were vaccinated with the Moderna mRNA vaccine. They received two doses four weeks apart. The first vaccination took place within three months of the most recent administration of immunotherapy or within four weeks of the most recent administration of chemotherapy.
Production of antibodies to the coronavirus after two vaccinations was the primary endpoint of the study. A positive response to the virus (seroconversion) was defined as a concentration of more than 10 virus binding antibodies per milliliter of blood serum.
The study showed no difference in response between patients and controls 28 days after the second vaccination. All controls had achieved seroconversion at that point, and so did many patients: 99.3% for immunotherapy, 97.4% for chemotherapy and 100% for chemoimmunotherapy.
Protection against COVID-19
The researchers also wanted to know whether seroconversion offers protection against getting COVID-19. A value of 300 virus-binding antibodies per milliliter should be the boundary between a suboptimal and an adequate response. After the two vaccinations, an adequate response was achieved in 93.1% of the patients who received immunotherapy, 83.8% on chemotherapy and 88.8% on chemo-immunotherapy. In the control group, an adequate response was found in 99.6% of the subjects.
‘It is very important for cancer patients and their treatment providers to know that they can be vaccinated during their treatment’
In most patients the concentration of antibodies increased after the second vaccination. This indicates that a third vaccination may still provide an adequate response in the group of patients who did not reach the limit value of 300 virus-binding antibodies after two vaccinations. This will be investigated in further research. One patient contracted COVID-19 in the period up to 28 days after the second vaccination. No unexpected side effects of the vaccination were seen during the study.
Safe
“It is very important for cancer patients and their practitioners worldwide to know that they can be vaccinated against corona during their treatment and that this vaccination is safe,” said Liesbeth de Vries, professor of Medical Oncology at the UMCG and research leader of VOICE. -study.
The researchers are still monitoring the study participants. They are currently collecting data from six months after vaccination. The response of T cells will also be investigated, as these immune cells can contribute to protection against COVID-19.
The VOICE study was set up when it was found that COVID-19 can have serious consequences for patients with cancer. This raised the question of whether vaccination against corona is effective and safe for these patients. Erasmus MC involves the departments of Internal Oncology, Pulmonary Disease, Viroscience and the Clinical Trial Center (CTC).
Vulnerable patients
The VOICE study is part of a large research program into the effect of corona vaccines in patients with a disturbed immune system, funded and supported by ZonMw. Recently published the results in kidney patients and researchers from Erasmus MC are involved in several ongoing research projects.
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