Evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in patients with breast and gynecological cancer.

This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in patients with breast and gynecological cancer. The data showed that most patients with breast and gynecological cancer developed antibodies after the second dose of the vaccine. However, the authors suggested that for non-responders or weak responders, additional immunization booster seems to be required, along with proactive planning in the vaccination schedule, with vaccine administration spaced out over time with respect to chemotherapy.

COVID-19 is caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Patients with cancers are among the more severely affected by this infection due to a lower immune system, either due to the disease or its treatments.

Vaccines have reduced the frequency of COVID-19 illness and allowed people to resume daily activities. The Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine teaches the immune system to recognize the COVID-19 virus. However, people with weakened immune systems do not always respond as well to vaccines.

There is little information known about the antibody response following the first or second vaccination, particularly in patients with breast and gynecological cancer. Antibody responses are a major form of defense against microbes. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in patients with breast and gynecological cancer to optimize their care.

This study involved 50 patients – 44 patients with breast cancer and 6 patients with gynecological cancer. Among these, 28 patients received chemotherapy and 22 patients received targeted therapy. The control group involved 67 patients who were healthy individuals and did not have any cancer.

All participants received 2 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine 21 days apart. Antibody levels were measured to assess the vaccine response before getting the second dose and 3 weeks after getting the second vaccine dose. Based on IgG antibody levels (0–400 AU/ml), patients were classified as negative (‘non-responders’), weakly positive, or strongly positive (‘responders’).

Overall, 86% of the patients in the cancer group developed IgG antibodies after the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. 74% of the patients with breast cancer and 100% of the patients with gynecological cancer developed IgG antibodies after the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine.

There were no statistically significant differences in responder rates between patients treated with chemotherapy and those on targeted therapy. 75% of the patients who received chemotherapy developed a reliable antibody level after a vaccine dose.

There was no delay in cancer therapy schedule or reported side effects after BNT162b2 vaccine administration. All healthy participants were strongly positive. Responder rates were significantly different between the cancer group and the control healthy group.

This study concluded that most patients with breast and gynecological cancer developed antibodies after the second dose of the vaccine. However, the authors suggested that for non-responders or weak responders, additional immunization booster seems to be required, along with proactive planning in the vaccination schedule, with vaccine administration spaced out over time with respect to chemotherapy.

This study did not include data on cellular immune response and lacked information about antibody levels before the second dose of the vaccine.