A recent study revealed that cancer patients are at a significantly higher risk of contracting a severe COVID infection, but COVID-19 vaccine boosters may turn out to be a lifesaver for them.
According to a study published in JAMA Oncology, COVID boosters minimised hospitalisations and ICU stays among cancer patients by 29% researchers.
Researchers discovered that patients who received a booster shot were less likely to experience side effects.
Director of community health and population research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, senior researcher Jan Figueiredo stated:
“The reduction in hospitalizations was significant, and the number of patients we needed to treat to see a benefit to the boosters is quite low.”
Figueiredo added, “Their immune systems can be weakened by their disease and the treatments they receive, which is why major health organizations recommend that these patients be vaccinated against COVID-19.”
For the study, researchers assessed data on more than 161,000 patients who received cancer treatment in 2022 and 2023.
Experts revealed that the percentage of cancer patients who received COVID shots remained low.
By January 2022, 68% cancer patients received a shot, and only 38% got subsequent boosters that targeted more than one COVID strain.
“It adds substantially to our understanding of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, and we will undertake additional studies as vaccine formulations change and new variants emerge so that we can make recommendations that best protect the health of our patients,” Figueiredo said.
Researchers stressed the need for more studies to determine vaccine effectiveness in other groups, including individuals with autoimmune disorders and people who previously underwent organ transplant surgeries.
