As a result, when the vaccines became available there were no studies of these vaccines in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. People with cancer were not included in the initial studies of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Providing reassurance about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines “Fortunately, we found no evidence to support those concerns,” he added. “Some 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,” said Dr. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other medical groups generally recommend that people with cancer receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.īut 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 could contribute to side effects.

Approved vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 among people with cancer. People with cancer have a higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19. Medical groups recommend COVID-19 vaccines for people with cancer “The 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,” Dr. “This is an important study,” said James Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., who codirects NCI’s Center for Immuno-Oncology but was not involved in the research. 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. “We hope our findings will allay concerns about immune-related side effects among patients as well as oncologists.” “It is safe for people to receive immune checkpoint inhibitors and COVID-19 vaccines,” said Adam Widman, M.D., who was part of the research team. Each received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine before or after treatment with a type of immunotherapy drug known as an immune checkpoint inhibitor.Īn analysis of the patients’ medical records revealed no evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccination had increased the type, frequency, or severity of immune-related side effects, such as inflammation in the lungs or colon, researchers found. The new study involved more than 400 people with cancer who were treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The findings are in line with the results of earlier, smaller studies.

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.

Covid vaccine cancer side effect