AUTHOR=Al-qaim Zahraa Haleem , Owadh Hasanain Kamil Hasan , Ali Sarah A. , Hussein Alaa S. , Ameen Thamer Ramadhan , Kolemen Ayshan , Washi Ghassan A. , Jalil Abduladheem Turki 

TITLE=COVID-19 vaccination in patients with cancer: Opportunities and challenges

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.1029325

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2022.1029325

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Due to the rapid global spread of the SARS-Co-V-2 virus and the increasing number of people with serious and potentially fatal COVID-19 disease, there is an urgent need for safe and effective vaccines. Based on convincing evidence that cancer patients are at increased risk for Covid-19 disease and mortality. As a result, cancer patients have been prioritized for Covid-19 vaccination, both for primary vaccination and for booster vaccination. However, due to the fact that these patients did not undergo pivotal clinical trials, there is considerable ambiguity about the efficacy of the vaccine and the extent of humoral and cellular immune responses in these patients. The risks of vaccine-related side effects in cancer patients also remain unclear. In this commentary, we review existing data on the efficacy and safety of approved and future vaccines in cancer patients. We also highlight important points that may affect the effectiveness of the vaccine in future cancer patients. And we will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with vaccinating cancer patients.