Dr. Halmos on the Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines in Patients With Cancer

Balazs Halmos, MD, director of Thoracic Oncology, and director of Clinical Cancer Genomics at Montefiore Medical Center, discusses the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines in patients with cancer.

Regardless of ongoing treatment with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy, most patients with a cancer diagnosis have a high chance of responding to the COVID-19 vaccines, as long as they are administered in an appropriate manner with both doses being given, according to Halmos. Responses to the vaccines among patients are measured by examining the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein immunoglobulin arrays from the vaccines, Halmos says.

Overall, 95% of patients with cancer mounted an immune response to the vaccines, which is very similar to the control population, Halmos notes. Additionally, when examining the titer levels of antibodies generated in patients with cancer. Those with solid tumors had similar responses to those seen in patients without a cancer diagnosis, Halmos concludes.