COVID-19 vaccination and breakthrough infections in patients with cancer

• DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2021.12.006
• Publication Date: 2021-12-24T07:59:21Z
• Authors: A.L. Schmidt; C. Labaki; C.-Y. Hsu; Z. Bakouny; N. Balanchivadze; S.A. Berg; S. Blau; A. Daher; T. El Zarif; C.R. Friese; E.A. Griffiths; J.E. Hawley; B. Hayes-Lattin; V. Karivedu; T. Latif; B.H. Mavromatis; R.R. McKay; G. Nagaraj; R.H. Nguyen; O.A. Panagiotou; A.J. Portuguese; M. Puc; M. Santos Dutra; B.A. Schroeder; A. Thakkar; E.M. Wulff-Burchf...; S. Mishra; D. Farmakiotis; Yu Shyr; J.L. Warner; T.K. Choueiri; T.K. Choueiri; N. Duma; D. Farmakiotis; P. Grivas; G. de Lima Lopes; C.A. Painter; S. Peters; B.I. Rini; D.P. Shah; M.A. Thompson; J.L. Warner
• Keywords: COVID-19 Vaccines; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; 610; COVID-19; vaccination; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Neoplasms; 616; Oncology; Hematology; cancer; Humans; Original Article; neoplasm

Vaccination is an important preventive health measure to protect against symptomatic and severe COVID-19. Impaired immunity secondary underlying malignancy or recent receipt of antineoplastic systemic therapies can result in less robust antibody titers following vaccination possible risk breakthrough infection. As clinical trials evaluating COVID-19 vaccines largely excluded patients with a history cancer those on active immunosuppression (including chemotherapy), limited evidence available inform the efficacy across spectrum cancer. We describe features who developed compare weighted outcomes contemporary unvaccinated patients, after adjustment for confounders, using data from multi-institutional Cancer Consortium (CCC19). Patients develop have substantial comorbidities present even lethal harboring hematologic malignancies are over-represented among vaccinated remains essential strategy protecting vulnerable populations, including infection despite full vaccination, however, remain at outcomes. A multilayered public mitigation approach that includes close contacts, boosters, social distancing, mask-wearing should be continued foreseeable future.