• A new study found antibodies were lower but adequate to fend off COVID-19 in fully vaccinated participants with lung cancer.
• A small subset of fully inoculated participants had abnormally low antibody levels.

Some individuals with cancer have weakened immune systems and might not be as well protected against COVID-19 even after being fully vaccinated, according to the American Cancer Society. A new study presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer, however, finds that individuals living with lung cancer can mount an adequate defense against the coronavirus by getting vaccinated.

The study cautioned that a small subset of vaccinated people with lung cancer had abnormally low antibody levels compared to fully inoculated individuals in the control group. Leading the investigation was Dr. Jorge E. Gomez, an assistant professor of medicine, hematology, and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

In the study, which is yet to be published, the researchers emphasized that while antibodies were lower overall in people with lung cancer, most individuals were still able to mount a sufficient antibody response after two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

The results presented at the conference in September were based on 111 participants with lung cancer. At this stage in the research, the median age of the study subjects was 69, most (64) were women, and almost half were white. The ongoing investigation aims to eventually include 750 people with lung cancer and 750 without (as a control group for comparison).

“We are currently studying the impact of specific cancer treatments on antibody levels in serial samples collected over two years,” wrote the study authors. Dr. Gomez and his collaborators also intend to look into how an extra dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will affect antibody levels in people living with lung cancer.

The GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer, which was founded by people in lung cancer treatment and survivors of lung cancer, stressed that these results so far underscore the importance of vaccination for people who have been diagnosed with lung cancer. “We highly encourage everyone who has been diagnosed to get vaccinated,” the organization said in a statement.

“Patients who have already been vaccinated should discuss with their doctor if a booster shot is right for them,” the GO2 Foundation statement continued. “Currently, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend a booster if the patient has received therapy for a solid tumor (such as lung cancer) within one year of receiving their initial vaccine.”