{"id":28456,"date":"2022-11-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/news-events\/cancer-currents-blog\/2022\/covid-vaccines-immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-safe"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:13:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:13:12","slug":"covid-19-vaccines-are-safe-for-people-receiving-cancer-immunotherapy-study-confirms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/covid-19-vaccines-are-safe-for-people-receiving-cancer-immunotherapy-study-confirms\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe for People Receiving Cancer Immunotherapy, Study Confirms"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A study of more than 400 people treated for cancer provides additional reassurance to doctors and patients about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.<\/p>\n

Credit: iStock<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

People with cancer who are treated with certain immunotherapy drugs can receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccines without an increased risk of immune-related side effects, new research suggests. The findings are in line with the results of earlier, smaller studies.<\/p>\n

The new study involved more than 400 people with cancer who were treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Each received an mRNA<\/a> COVID-19 vaccine before or after treatment with a type of immunotherapy drug known as an immune checkpoint inhibitor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An analysis of the patients\u2019 medical records revealed no evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccination had increased the type, frequency, or severity of immune-related side effects<\/a>, such as inflammation<\/a> in the lungs or colon, researchers found.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is safe for people to receive immune checkpoint inhibitors and COVID-19 vaccines,\u201d said Adam Widman, M.D., who was part of the research team. \u201cWe hope our findings will allay concerns about immune-related side effects among patients as well as oncologists.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were no signs of increased immune-related side effects among specific groups of patients in the study (e.g., older patients or those with a specific cancer type), the researchers reported in the October issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an important study,\u201d said James Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., who codirects NCI\u2019s Center for Immuno-Oncology<\/a> but was not involved in the research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe findings add to what is known about the safety of giving COVID-19 vaccines to people taking immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are an important treatment option for a growing number of patients with cancer,\u201d Dr. Gulley added. <\/p>\n

Medical groups recommend COVID-19 vaccines for people with cancer<\/h2>\n

People with cancer have a higher risk of severe complications<\/a> from COVID-19. Approved vaccines against SARS-CoV-2<\/a> have been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 among people with cancer. <\/p>\n

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other medical groups generally recommend that people with cancer receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But some people with cancer have been reluctant to be vaccinated while being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors out of concerns that the additional stimulation of the immune system<\/a> could contribute to side effects.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome clinicians and patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering had concerns that the COVID-19 vaccine might interfere with immunotherapy and might spur immune-related adverse events, which can be serious,\u201d said Dr. Widman.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, we found no evidence to support those concerns,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Providing reassurance about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines<\/h2>\n

People with cancer were not included in the initial studies of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. As a result, when the vaccines became available there were no studies of these vaccines in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.<\/p>\n

Studies of other vaccines have suggested that patients undergoing treatments for cancer that involve suppressing the immune system<\/a>, such as stem cell therapy, should hold off on vaccination for several months because the response to the vaccine may be temporarily lessened.<\/p>\n

In terms of side effects, a 2019 study found that the flu vaccine did not contribute to increased immune-related side effects in patients<\/a> being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The flu vaccine study was led by Mini Kamboj, M.D., the chief medical epidemiologist at MSKCC, who also led the new COVID-19 study.<\/p>\n

Two studies published in 2021 also found no signs that COVID-19 vaccines contribute to immune-related side effects. One study was conducted in Israel,<\/a> and the other in the United States<\/a>. The MSKCC study was larger and followed patients for longer after vaccination than the earlier studies did.<\/p>\n

The new findings should provide additional reassurance to doctors and patients about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, noted Ido Wolf, M.D., of Tel Aviv University, who led the Israeli study.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThese vaccines can save lives, particularly for patients with cancer who may be older and have weakened immune systems and other health conditions,\u201d said Dr. Wolf.<\/p>\n

Most of the immune-related side effects were mild<\/h2>\n

The 408 patients in the MSKCC study had received a first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine within 90 days before or after receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor.<\/p>\n

Most patients in the study received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and their median<\/a> age was 71 years old. The patients had many different types of cancer.<\/p>\n

The immune checkpoint inhibitors they received included pembrolizumab (Keytruda)<\/a>, nivolumab (Opdivo)<\/a>, ipilimumab (Yervoy)<\/a>, and combinations of these drugs. During the follow-up period (90 days from vaccination), the researchers found:  <\/p>\n