A German study published in the journal Nature Cancer found that Covid19 vaccines are effective in people with blood cancer. Vaccination offers protection against severe forms of the disease, the survey found, even in those patients who are receiving aggressive drugs that weaken the immune system.
A total of 60 patients with two types of blood cancer Bcell lymphoma and multiple myeloma were followed up by researchers studying immune responses after these individuals received three doses of vaccines against SARSCoV2. The approach was larger than previous research and didn’t just focus on the amount of antibodies directed against the virus’s spike protein in the bloodstream of these individuals.
The results are promising. By modifying the analysis methodology, the researchers discovered that another type of immune cell, T lymphocytes with immune functions to bring about antiviral responses, either through cytokine production or active elimination of infected cells can be activated after vaccination and provide protection, even in patients with blood cancer that produce small amounts of antibodies.
“Almost all volunteers had a strong Tcell response to the Covid19 vaccination,” said Andrea KepplerHafkemeyer from the University Hospital Freiburg in Germany. “In addition, they produced antibodies of higher quality than in healthy people,” adds the researcher and first author of the study.
According to the specialist, Tcells act to ward off infections caused by various microorganisms, including the coronavirus, and manage to neutralize both the original strain and several variants, including omicron BA.1.
During the study period, some patients tested positive for Covid19 but had only mild or moderate symptoms, underscoring the importance and effectiveness of vaccination in this population.
“Multiple doses of vaccine can be recommended for patients with Bcell lymphoma or multiple myeloma without interrupting cancer therapy,” said Oliver T. Keppler, professor at the University of Munich and one of the coauthors of the study. According to him, vaccines in patients with various types of cancer provide an excellent immune response against the disease and generate strong antibodies. “People with blood cancer can and should get vaccinated to avoid complications from Covid19,” concluded the expert.