What People With Cancer Should Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters
Key Takeaways
- Cancer diagnosis and immunosuppressive therapies increase susceptibility to COVID-19 complications, making vaccination a high-priority supportive-care intervention.
- After a single mRNA dose, antibody responses are frequently blunted in oncology cohorts, yet two-dose series substantially improves immunogenicity.
A third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for patients with cancer, even those in active treatment.
Thinking about a COVID-19 booster?
A third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for patients with cancer, even those in active treatment. Studies show that cancer patients are at high risk for COVID-19-associated complications. Because of this, there is a clear need for vaccination for patients with cancer.
While several studies have shown a reduced response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) in patients with cancer after the first dose, response improves after the second dose. Emerging data now suggests that a third dose of an mRNA vaccine safely improves immunity against COVID-19 for patients with cancer, including those undergoing active treatment.
Read more about this in our XRAY review and understand better the recent changes to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) COVID-19 vaccination guidelines.
https://www.facingourrisk.org/XRAY/COVID-booster-recommended-for-cancer-patients-in-treatment?utm_source=CURE&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic_social_