Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination for patients with solid cancer: Review and point of view of a French oncology intergroup (GCO, TNCD, UNICANCER)

David Tougeron¹, Maxime Hentzien², Barbara Seitz-Polski³, Firouze Bani-Sadr², Jean Bourhis⁴, Michel Ducreux⁵, Sébastien Gaujoux⁶, Philippe Gorphe⁷, Boris Guiu⁸, Khê Hoang-Xuan⁹, Florence Huguet¹⁰, Thierry Lecomte¹¹, Astrid Lièvre¹², Christophe Louvet¹³, Léon Maggiori¹⁴, Laura Mansi¹⁵, Pascale Mariani¹⁶, Pierre Michel¹⁷, Amélie Servettaz², Juliette Thariat¹⁸, Virgine Westeel¹⁹, Thomas Aparicio²⁰, Jean-Yves Blay²¹, Olivier Bouché²²; for Thésaurus National de Cancérologie Digestive (TNCD); réseau de Groupes Coopérateurs en Oncologie (GCO); Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer (UNICANCER); Association de Chirurgie Hépato-Bilio-Pancréatique et Transplantation (ACHBT); Association de Recherche sur les Cancers Gynécologiques-Groupes d'Investigateurs Nationaux pour l'étude des Cancers Ovariens et du Sein (ARCAGY-GINECO); Fédération Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD); Groupe Coopérateur multidisciplinaire en Oncologie (GERCOR); Groupe d'Oncologie Radiothérapie Tête et Cou-Intergroupe ORL (GORTEC-Intergroupe ORL); Intergroupe Francophone de Cancérologie Thoracique (IFCT); InterGroupe Coopérateur de Neuro-Oncologie/Association des Neuro-Oncologues d’Expression Française (IGCNO-ANOCEF); Société Française de Chirurgie Digestive (SFCD); Société Française d’Endoscopie Digestive (SFED); Société Française de Radiothérapie Oncologique (SFRO); Société Française de Radiologie (SFR); Société Nationale Française de Colo-Proctologie (SNFCP); Société Nationale Française de Gastroentérologie (SNFGE)

Affiliations

¹ Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department, Poitiers University Hospital and University of Poitiers, FFCD, Poitiers, France. Electronic address: david.tougeron@chu-poitiers.fr.
² Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Reims University Hospital, Reims, France.
³ Immunology Laboratory, UR2CA, Nice University Hospital, Nice, France.
⁴ Radiotherapy Department, Vaud University Hospital, GORTEC/Intergroupe ORL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁵ Digestive Oncology Department, Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris-Saclay University, UNICANCER, Villejuif, France.
⁶ Digestive Surgery Department, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, ACHBT, Paris, France.
⁷ Cervico-Facial Department, Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris-Saclay University, Intergroupe ORL, Villejuif, France.
⁸ Radiology Department, Montpellier University Hospital, SFR, Montpellier, France.
⁹ Neurology Department, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, Paris-Sorbonne Université, IGCNO-ANOCEF, Paris, France.
¹⁰ Radiotherapy Department, Tenon Hospital, Sorbonne Université, APHP, Institut Universitaire de Cancérologie, SFRO, Paris, France.
¹¹ Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, Tours University Hospital and UMR INSERM 1069 N2C, Tours University, SFED, Tours, France.
¹² Gastroenterology Department, Pontchaillou University Hospital, INSERM UMR 1242, COSS "Chemistry, Oncogenesis, Stress Signaling", Rennes, SNFGE, France.
¹³ Medical Oncology Department, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, GERCOR, Paris, France.
¹⁴ Digestive Surgery Department, Saint Louis Hospital, APHP, SNFCP, Paris, France.
¹⁵ INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Interactions Greffon-Hôte-Tumeur/Ingénierie Cellulaire et Génique, Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Besançon, GINECO, Besançon, France.
¹⁶ Oncology Digestive Surgery Department, Curie Institute, SFCD, Paris, France.
¹⁷ Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department, Rouen University Hospital, Normandie University, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, IRON Group, FFCD, Rouen, France.
¹⁸ Radiotherapy Department, François Baclesse Center, Normandie Université, GORTEC/Intergroupe ORL, Caen, France.
¹⁹ Pneumology Department, Jean Minjoz Hospital, CHU Besançon, INSERM UMR 1098, Franche-Comté University, IFCT, Besançon, France.
²⁰ Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, Saint Louis Hospital, APHP, Université de Paris, GCO, Paris, France.
²¹ Medical Oncology Department, Léon Bérard Center, UNICANCER, Lyon, France.
²² Digestive Oncology Department, CHU Reims University Hospital, TNCD, Reims, France.

PMID: 33934060
PMCID: PMC8015403
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.03.030

Review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination for patients with solid cancer: Review and point of view of a French oncology intergroup (GCO, TNCD, UNICANCER)

David Tougeron et al. Eur J Cancer. 2021 Jun.

. 2021 Jun:150:232-239.

doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.03.030. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department, Poitiers University Hospital and University of Poitiers, FFCD, Poitiers, France. Electronic address: david.tougeron@chu-poitiers.fr.
² Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Reims University Hospital, Reims, France.
³ Immunology Laboratory, UR2CA, Nice University Hospital, Nice, France.
⁴ Radiotherapy Department, Vaud University Hospital, GORTEC/Intergroupe ORL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁵ Digestive Oncology Department, Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris-Saclay University, UNICANCER, Villejuif, France.
⁶ Digestive Surgery Department, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, ACHBT, Paris, France.
⁷ Cervico-Facial Department, Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris-Saclay University, Intergroupe ORL, Villejuif, France.
⁸ Radiology Department, Montpellier University Hospital, SFR, Montpellier, France.
⁹ Neurology Department, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, Paris-Sorbonne Université, IGCNO-ANOCEF, Paris, France.
¹⁰ Radiotherapy Department, Tenon Hospital, Sorbonne Université, APHP, Institut Universitaire de Cancérologie, SFRO, Paris, France.
¹¹ Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, Tours University Hospital and UMR INSERM 1069 N2C, Tours University, SFED, Tours, France.
¹² Gastroenterology Department, Pontchaillou University Hospital, INSERM UMR 1242, COSS "Chemistry, Oncogenesis, Stress Signaling", Rennes, SNFGE, France.
¹³ Medical Oncology Department, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, GERCOR, Paris, France.
¹⁴ Digestive Surgery Department, Saint Louis Hospital, APHP, SNFCP, Paris, France.
¹⁵ INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Interactions Greffon-Hôte-Tumeur/Ingénierie Cellulaire et Génique, Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Besançon, GINECO, Besançon, France.
¹⁶ Oncology Digestive Surgery Department, Curie Institute, SFCD, Paris, France.
¹⁷ Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department, Rouen University Hospital, Normandie University, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245, IRON Group, FFCD, Rouen, France.
¹⁸ Radiotherapy Department, François Baclesse Center, Normandie Université, GORTEC/Intergroupe ORL, Caen, France.
¹⁹ Pneumology Department, Jean Minjoz Hospital, CHU Besançon, INSERM UMR 1098, Franche-Comté University, IFCT, Besançon, France.
²⁰ Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, Saint Louis Hospital, APHP, Université de Paris, GCO, Paris, France.
²¹ Medical Oncology Department, Léon Bérard Center, UNICANCER, Lyon, France.
²² Digestive Oncology Department, CHU Reims University Hospital, TNCD, Reims, France.

PMID: 33934060
PMCID: PMC8015403
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.03.030

Abstract

The impacts of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic on cancer care are multiple, entailing a high risk of death from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with cancer treated by chemotherapy. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines represent an opportunity to decrease the rate of severe COVID-19 cases in patients with cancer and also to restore normal cancer care. Patients with cancer to be targeted for vaccination are difficult to define owing to the limited contribution of these patients in the phase III trials testing the different vaccines. It seems appropriate to vaccinate not only patients with cancer with ongoing treatment or with a treatment having been completed less than 3 years ago but also household and close contacts. High-risk patients with cancer who are candidates for priority access to vaccination are those treated by chemotherapy. The very high-priority population includes patients with curative treatment and palliative first- or second-line chemotherapy, as well as patients requiring surgery or radiotherapy involving a large volume of lung, lymph node and/or haematopoietic tissue. When possible, vaccination should be carried out before cancer treatment begins. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination can be performed during chemotherapy while avoiding periods of neutropenia and lymphopenia. For organisational reasons, vaccination should be performed in cancer care centres with messenger RNA vaccines (or non-replicating adenoviral vaccines in non-immunocompromised patients). Considering the current state of knowledge, the benefit-risk ratio strongly favours SARS-CoV-2 vaccination of all patients with cancer. To obtain more data concerning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, it is necessary to implement cohorts of vaccinated patients with cancer.

Keywords: COVID-19; Chemotherapy; Coronavirus; Radiotherapy; SARS-CoV-2; Solid cancers; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement None declared.

References

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination for patients with solid cancer: Review and point of view of a French oncology intergroup (GCO, TNCD, UNICANCER)

Affiliations

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination for patients with solid cancer: Review and point of view of a French oncology intergroup (GCO, TNCD, UNICANCER)

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

Publication types

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LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources

Medical

Miscellaneous