Safety and immunogenicity of the third (booster) dose of inactivated and recombinant protein SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for patients with endocrine-related cancer

Abstract

BackgroundOur study aimed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the third (booster) dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for patients with endocrine-related cancers.MethodsThis observational study involved 94 breast cancer patients, 92 thyroid cancer patients, and 123 healthy individuals who had received the third (booster) dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Data on the adverse effects, serum anti-receptor binding domain (RBD)-immunoglobulin (Ig) G, and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) were collected prospectively.ResultsThe serum anti-RBD-IgG and NAb titers were significantly lower for the patients with endocrine-related malignancies than for the healthy controls (3.01 [IQR: 1.11–6.70] vs. 4.19 [1.95–9.11], p = 0.001; 0.23 [0.11–0.52] vs. 0.41 [0.22–0.78], p = 0.001), and the seroconversion rates of anti-RBD-IgG and NAbs showed similar results. The serum antibody titers and seroconversion rates were significantly lower for patients aged ≥65 years with endocrine-related cancers, but there were no significant differences related to gender, vaccine type, or cancer type. Subgroup analysis showed that the antibody titers and seroconversion rates were significantly lower for patients with intermediate to advanced breast cancer, HR–/Her2+ breast cancer, and breast cancer undergoing treatment than for healthy controls. In contrast, breast cancer patients who completed their treatment and those who received endocrine therapy after completing their treatment were not significantly different from healthy controls. The NAbs titers and seroconversion rates were significantly lower for patients with primary thyroid cancer (0.19 [IQR: 0.10–0.46] vs. 0.41 [0.22–0.78], p = 0.003; 55.9 vs. 84.9%, p < 0.001); the seroconversion rates were significantly higher for the patients with combined Hashimoto's thyroiditis than for those without it. Multiple linear regression showed that patients aged ≥65 years who were receiving treatment were at risk of having lower antibody levels.ConclusionThe third (booster) dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and well-tolerated. Our data support a third (booster) dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for breast and thyroid cancer patients. Breast cancer patients aged ≥65 years who are receiving treatment should be more protected, while thyroid cancer and breast cancer patients who have completed their treatment can be vaccinated like the general population.

What is the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in Immunocompromised Patients? Results from the European “Covid Vaccine Monitor” Active Surveillance Study

“…Concerning serious ADRs and AESI, we found a very low rate in both immunocompromised vaccinees and matched controls, following the first vaccination cycle and the booster dose, suggesting that vaccines are safe and reliable. These results appear concordant with previous studies on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised subjects, which have reported either no or very low rates of severe adverse reactions after vaccination [21,35].…”

“…Mild ADRs were only marginally increased in the immunocompromised cohort relative to healthy controls. Specifically, injection-site pain and fatigue were the most reported local and systemic solicited ADRs in both cohorts, which is consistent with evidence from the literature and in line with those reported in the Summary of Product Characteristics and RCTs (Supplementary Table 1) [9,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

A Comparative Study of Immunogenicity, Antibody Persistence, and Safety of Three Different COVID-19 Boosters between Individuals with Comorbidities and the Normal Population

“…Our previous study also showed the better boosting effect of PastoCovac and PasctoCovac plus as a booster vaccine on humoral immune response in comparison to the inactivated vaccine in Iranian adults [ 51 ]. Moreover, a recent study reported that both inactive and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 protein boosters had the same immunogenicity and were safe and tolerable in cancer patients and healthy subjects [ 52 ]. Overall, our research has revealed that the protein subunit vaccines appear to be able to induce a stronger humoral immune response than the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine.…”