Covid vaccination for survivors and cancer patients

Globally many expert medical groups now recommend that most people with cancer or a history of cancer get the Covid-19 vaccine once it is available to them. The recent Government of India order dated Jan 14th clearly states that immunodeficiency or patients on immunosuppression is not a contraindication for Covid vaccination.

Governments, oncology society and experts recommend that most cancer patients (comorbidity) get vaccinated because those with a fragile immune system are at risk for severe Covid-19 disease, so getting some protection from the vaccine is better than not having any protection. The main concern about getting the vaccine has been about whether it is safe for people with cancer during therapy & how effective it will be, especially among people with weakened immune systems. Some cancer treatments like chemotherapy (chemo), radiation, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, or immunotherapy can affect the immune system, could they make the vaccine less effective?

The initial studies testing the Covid-19 vaccines did not include people getting treatment with drugs that suppress the immune system, like chemo, or people who have weakened immune systems for other reasons. This is because the studies needed to see first if the vaccines work in people with healthy immune systems. Because of this, it is not yet clear how effective the vaccines might be in these groups of people.

Although we do not have specific information yet on how effective the vaccines might be in people being treated for cancer, it is important to protect cancer patients ongoing treatment to protect them against covid-19 infection. In general, anyone with a weak immune system should not get any vaccines that contain live virus. Since Covishield uses a Non replicating viral vector (It is NOT a live Virus) many oncologists are offering this to their patients during therapy and this could be useful to protect these vulnerable patients.

Since the situation for every person is different, it is best to discuss the risks and benefits of getting one of the Covid-19 vaccines with your cancer doctor. It is also important to know that even after getting a Covid-19 vaccine, health experts still recommend that you continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing and good hand hygiene, and avoid crowds and places with poor air circulation.

(The author is Regional Director - Head & Neck Surgical Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Associate Dean – Academics, HCG Cancer Hospital, Bangalore)