Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination in cancer patients

Abstract

Patients with cancer are at high risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Institutions for disease control and prevention and cancer-related learned societies in many countries recommend prioritizing cancer patients for COVID-19 vaccines. All the COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for emergency use, including inactivated vaccines, mRNA vaccines, recombinant adenovirus vector-based vaccines, and recombinant protein subunit vaccines, can be applied in cancer patients. Cancer patients with stable disease can be vaccinated against COVID-19 at any time, while patients with advanced-stage cancer or undergoing anticancer therapy should decide on the timing of vaccination according to the specific situation such as treatment methods and cancer type, etc.. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients may outweigh the risks, but the immune response rate may be lower in cancer patients, especially in patients with haematological malignancies, than in healthy individuals. Copyright © 2021 by the Chinese Medical Association.