Research on the effectiveness of vaccines in cancer patients
Researchers from the Jordi Gol University Institute for Primary Care Research (IDIAPJGol) and the Barcelona Global Health Institute (ISGlobal), a center promoted by the “la Caixa” Foundation, have led a study on the effectiveness of vaccines against covid-19 among cancer patients in Catalonia. This research warns that cancer patients have a greater risk of dying from contracting covid-19, especially those with lung cancer, hematological malignancies or who are undergoing systemic treatment, such as chemotherapy. The work, published in the journal Nature Communications, recommends administering additional doses of the coronavirus vaccine in this at-risk population.
Study based on real data
This study is the most comprehensive to date on this issue and is the first to use information from real-world data. This provides a more realistic view of how vaccines are working in everyday clinical practice among people with cancer. The researchers analyzed data from 184,744 patients, half of whom had received at least the first full immunization and the other half had not been vaccinated at the time of the study.
Reduction of mortality and serious complications
Study results show that vaccination against covid-19 significantly reduces mortality and serious complications among cancer patients, especially those who received the booster dose. The rate of death and serious complications is twice as high among unvaccinated cancer patients compared to those who received the first full dose. However, this difference is smaller than that observed among the general population immunized against the coronavirus.
ISGlobal researcher Otavio Ranzani emphasizes that these results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of vaccination against covid-19 in cancer patients. In addition, researcher Talita Duarte-Sallés emphasizes that this work provides essential information to understand the impact of vaccination on this vulnerable population and helps design public health policies to protect them.
