STUDY SHOWS COVID VACCINES EFFECIVE FOR CANCER PATIENTS

The COVID-19 vaccine works for people receiving treatment for cancer, even with a lower immune response than those without the disease, a study published Friday by JAMA Oncology found, Brian P. Dunleavy reported for United Press International (UPI).

Ninety percent of patients treated for cancer and given the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine tested positive for antibodies against the coronavirus two weeks after their second shot, the data showed.

Though their levels of antibodies -- cells produced by the immune system to fight off viruses -- were about 70% lower than those of people without cancer, they were still high enough to provide protection against infection, the researchers said.

Cancer patients "should get vaccinated," study co-author Dr. Salomon M. Stemmer told UPI in an email. After vaccination, their "antibody levels are way above the lower threshold" for protection, said Stemmer, a professor of oncology at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel.

The two-dose vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are more than 90% effective at preventing severe illness following coronavirus infection by stimulating the immune system to fight off the virus, according to earlier studies.

Up to 3 million adults in the United States, including cancer patients, take medications that suppress the immune system, and these drugs are believed to reduce the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, research indicates.

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