Some of the world’s best-renowned cancer specialists noticed patients with cancer needed COVID-19 booster vaccines as they were not as protective to them as for people without the disease. A new study found patients receiving chemotherapy and some similar targeted therapies had an inadequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. The research has been published in a journal named “Mayo Clinic Proceedings”. “It is important for patients with cancer who are receiving chemotherapy to receive a Covid-19 vaccine,” said Saranya Chumsri, M.D., a Mayo Clinic haematologist and oncologist, and author of the paper.
Dr. Chumsri also suggested that patients with cancer taking CDK 4/6 inhibitors should take Covid-19 booster vaccines. These inhibitors are a newer class of medicines beneficial for patients with breast cancer.
Dr Chumsri also recommended that patients’ antibody level needed to be tested after vaccination and if required, booster vaccines for Covid-19 should be considered.
A team of dedicated researchers are continuously assessing immune responses by looking at antibody levels. Patients get tested at planned intervals following the second dose of the vaccine—after one week, one month, six months, and a year. Researchers anticipate having more data later this year will bring new insights into the matter.