COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients With Malignancy; A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety

Abstract

BackgroundData on the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with malignancy are immature. In this paper, we assessed the literature involving the use of COVID-19 vaccines in cancer patients and reported the seroconversion rates as the main outcome and severity of COVID-19 infection and side effects following COVID-19 vaccination as the secondary outcomes.MethodsA systematic review with meta-analysis was performed. Searches were conducted in electronic websites, databases, and journals, including Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from January 01, 2019, to November 30, 2021. Studies reporting data on the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccine in cancer patients using any human samples were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the NEWCASTLE-OTTAWA scale in the included studies.ResultsA total of 724 articles were identified from databases, out of which 201 articles were duplicates and were discarded. Subsequently, 454 articles were excluded through initial screening of the titles and abstracts. Moreover, 41 studies did not report the precise seroconversion rate either based on the type of cancer or after injection of a second dose of COVID vaccine. Finally, 28 articles met all the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. The overall seroconversion rates after receiving a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, based on type of cancer were 88% (95% CI, 81%-92%) and 70% (95% CI, 60%-79%) in patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, respectively.ConclusionOverall, we conclude that vaccination against COVID-19 in patients with active malignancies using activated and inactivated vaccines is a safe and tolerable procedure that is also accompanied by a high efficacy.

Seroconversion rate after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with solid cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Javadinia et al confirmed that inactivated vaccine is safe and effective in patients with malignancies, 95 , 96 and that vaccination against COVID-19 in patients with active malignancies using activated or inactivated vaccines is a safe, tolerable, and highly effective procedure. 97 Over the last decade, mRNA has emerged as a promising platform for developing vaccines against infectious disease and cancer. 98 Compared with traditional vaccines such as live attenuated vaccines, inactivated virus vaccines, and protein subunit vaccines, mRNA vaccines have the advantages of versatility, rapid development, good safety profiles, and potent immunogenicity.…”

A retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with advanced genitourinary cancers

“…Ariamanesh et al reported a higher seroconversion in younger patients with cancer than 60 years (90.9%, 90%, and 79% in patients <40 years, 40–60 years, and >60 years; respectively, p = .042) [ 19 ]. Multiple studies suggest that patients with solid malignancies are likely to have a higher seroconversion than patients with hematologic malignancies 13 , 19 , 20 , 21 . Joudi et al reported an excellent immune response (93.3%) to vaccination with minimal side effects (local pain and fever in 22.3% and 24.3% of patients, respectively) in their cohort of 160 patients with breast cancer.…”

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Oncology Patient Management

“…Moreover, some studies point that the humoral response to COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients can be influenced by the type of malignancy (especially hematological which undergo somewhat more significant immunosuppression), the type of anti-cancer treatment and demographic factors like age and gender. We consider that an infectiologist should have been integrated in the oncology multidisciplinary team to better support their immunosuppressed cancer patients [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ].…”