QuoteReplyTopic: CORONA VIRUS VACCINATION IS IT SAFE? Posted: Mar 26 2021 at 4:26am
HELLO ALL!
HOPE ALL YOU ARE SAFE!
I WANTED TO ASK YOU WHAT YOUR ONCOLOGISTS RECOMMENDS IS IT SAFE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAD TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER , IS SAFE TO GET VACCINED OR IS IT DANGEROUS. WONDERING BECAUSE IS NOT ENOUGH TESTED IF FOR SOME REASON IS DANGEROUS FOR ANY CANCER CELLS.
I WILL APPRECIATE YOUR OPINION AND YOUR HELP! I ALWAYS HAVE AND HAD THE BEST SUPPORT EVER HERE AND THANK YOU ALL!!
Which COVID-19 vaccine is best for cancer patients?
With three COVID-19 vaccines
now authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), you might be wondering which vaccine is best for current and
former cancer patients. After reviewing all available data, MD Anderson medical experts agree that all three vaccines are safe and recommended for cancer patients.
So, should you take Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine
(J&J), which requires only one dose, if that’s what’s available? Or
should you wait for one of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, which both
require two doses, spaced 21 and 28 days apart, respectively?
According to our experts, the answer is clear: “Don’t pass up an
opportunity to get the vaccine, no matter which one it is,” says Anita Ying, M.D., vice president of Ambulatory Medical Operations. “The best COVID-19 vaccine to get is the first one available to you.”
And survivors, those not undergoing active cancer treatment. Are there any reasons they shouldn’t get vaccinated?
I think that depends on when you ask the question. How much vaccine
do you have [available]? If you have unlimited amounts, then everybody
should get vaccinated. But when you get into vaccine allocation issues,
that’s when it gets challenging.
But there’s no question that many cancer survivors have immunologic
deficiencies, so I see many of them as being at high risk. Cancer
survivors are also people who tend to be older and have other
comorbidities—heart disease, kidney or lung dysfunction—so they’re going
to have other reasons that will put them at risk for developing severe
COVID-19, and those are all reasons for them to get vaccinated.
I am currently under AC-T chemo treatment. I received my 2nd dose of Moderna vaccine last week. My doctor approved the vaccine for me and I am glad I got it. As far as side effects, they were manageable with Tylenol and some rest. I think the benefits of the vaccine greatly outweigh the concerns of side effects. However, it is important that we as the patients of breast cancer consult our doctors before we get the vaccine. And after getting the vaccine, be ready to take rest, if needed, especially, after the second dose. If any side effects persist or intensify, consult your doctor. I am just writing about my experience as a patient. I am not a doctor or medical professional.
I had two shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Both recently and between my chemo infusions. I had no side effects that couldn't be managed with rest and some tylenol. I'm glad I got them.
From what I have read the vaccine is safe but certain oncologists, based on their individual patient's status if currently undergoing treatment, or have very compromised immune systems, have suggested waiting to take the vaccine. For example if a patient's white blood count has plummeted due to chemo some oncologists feel it is better to wait until the levels normalize.
Also, I am actively helping women with breast cancer and at least 10 of them have reported to me, after their second Covid vaccination, a scary inflammation in their axillary lymph nodes. The inflammation, on a scan, is suggestive of cancer and has understandably gotten the women and their loved ones, very concerned but it seems to go away within a few weeks.
But, some women, have had biopsies that were all negative.
Please, please don't take my words as advice to not have the vaccine. I am not a medical professional and do not give medical advice. I, my wife and all our loved ones who are eligible to get the vaccine have been double vaccinated but there seem to be instances where your oncologist may recommend the vaccine be postponed. Please follow your oncologist's guidance.
with my love to all here,
Steve
I am a BRCA1+ grandson, son and father of women affected by breast/oc-my daughter inherited mutation from me, and at 36, was dx 2004 TNBC I am a volunteer patient advocate with SAGE Patient Advocates
Pfizer COVID-19
Vaccine Deemed Safe for Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment Despite
“Lagging” Immune Response in Some Malignancies
Despite
some delayed immune responses, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine appears safe
and effective in patients with cancer who are receiving treatment for
their disease.
The
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine appears to produce a safe and effective immune
response in patients with certain cancer types who are undergoing active
treatment, although notably some patients with solid malignancies may
have delayed immune responses, according to a press release.1
The
study compared patients who were undergoing treatment for cancer with
non-cancer controls and found a lagging immune response time in some
solid tumors, such as colon, breast, and lung cancer. Investigators only
focused on the Pfizer 2 dose vaccine and not Moderna, which has a
similar composition; investigators are unsure whether it would yield the
same response.
“Patients with solid tumors do
develop antibodies to the vaccine, but this process is lagging compared
with the general population, and one dose is not enough,” study
co-author Irit Ben-Aharon, MD, PhD, of the Israel Cancer Research Fund
said in the press release.
Investigators caution that
patients undergoing treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy should
be monitored after receiving the vaccines, as it may potentially cause
changes in certain liver enzymes.
This study focused on 232
adult patients undergoing cancer treatment and 220 healthy adults.
Following administration of the first dose, patients with cancer had 29%
detectable antibodies in the bloodstream compared with 84% in healthy
adults.
When patients with cancer received the second dose,
the antibodies rose to 86%. Investigators are still monitoring these
patients for 6 months to see if their immune response declines or if a
booster shot will be needed.
“Based on their findings,
however, people undergoing cancer treatment can—and should—receive both
doses of the vaccine,” Ben-Aharon continued in the press release.
This
study, which began in January 2021 and concluded in March 2021, took
place in Israel with randomly enrolled patients who had not previously
been infected with the COVID-19 virus. The first dataset was taken more
than 10 following the first dose of the vaccine, and the second was
collected approximately 14 days after the second dose.2
The
cohort of patients receiving cancer treatment was comprised of 172
patients (74%) who had metastatic disease. The most common cancer types
included gastrointestinal (27%; n = 63), genitourinary (21%; n = 48),
lung (19%; n = 45), and breast cancer (18%; n = 42).
Among
patients who were 60 years or older, 30% (n= 26) had positive serologic
test results compared with 80% (n= 146) in the control group (P< .001). Seropositive patients had a media titer score of 40.25 compared to the control groups 43.5.
In
patients who were 60 years or younger, 27% (n= 7) had positive
serologic results (median, 72.5) compared with 94% (n= 94) the control
group (median, 74.0). There was no difference when investigators looked
at age, sex, or disease stage.
Investigators reported an
increase in enzymes by 1.5 times in 24 patients for 6 weeks after the
first dose. Patients also reported local reaction (69%), with
injection-site warmness (9%), redness (8%), and swelling (4%). The most
common adverse effects reported included fatigue (24%), muscle and joint
pain (13%), and headache (10%). Only 1% of patients reported a fever.
“This
cohort study provides data on use of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine in
patients with solid tumors who are receiving active anticancer
treatments in the real-world setting. Although the immunogenicity
pattern was gradual and slower than in the noncancer population, after
the second dose most patients were seropositive and no documented cases
of COVID-19 infection were determined,” investigators of the study
concluded.
References:
1. Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
safe, effective in cancer patients, despite 'lagging' response. News
release. UPI. July 8, 2021. Accessed July 9, 2021. https://bit.ly/3AOKPjE
2.
Goshen-Lago T, Waldhorn I, Holland R, et al. Serologic status and toxic
effects of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine in patients undergoing
treatment for cancer. Published online ahead of print: July 8, 2021. JAMA Oncol. 2021. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.2675
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