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Observational Study
. 2022 Jul;13(6):850-855.
doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2022.05.002. Epub 2022 May 16.

Acceptance, efficacy, and safety of COVID-19 vaccination in older patients with cancer

Anne-Laure Couderc  1 , Laetitia Ninove  2 , Emilie Nouguerède  3 , Dominique Rey  3 , Marina Rebroin  4 , Aurélie Daumas  5 , Pascale Tomasini  6 , Laurent Greillier  6 , Sebastien Salas  7 , Florence Duffaud  7 , Laetitia Dahan  8 , Muriel Duluc  8 , Marie-Eve Garcia  6 , Johan Pluvy  6 , Solène Chaléat  6 , Laure Farnault  9 , Geoffroy Venton  9 , Toscane Fourié  2 , Elif Nurtop  2 , Xavier de Lamballerie  2 , Patrick Villani  10 , Remi Charrel  2 , Florian Correard  4
Affiliations
Observational Study

Acceptance, efficacy, and safety of COVID-19 vaccination in older patients with cancer

Anne-Laure Couderc et al. J Geriatr Oncol. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 vaccination campaign began in December 2020, in France, and primarily targeted the oldest people. Our study aimed to determine the level of acceptance of vaccination in a population of older patients with cancer.

Methods: From January 2021, we offered vaccination with the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine to all patients 70 years and older referred to our geriatric oncology center in Marseille University Hospital (AP-HM) for geriatric assessment before initiation of an oncological treatment. Objectives were to evaluate acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccination and to assess vaccine safety, reactogenicity, and efficacy two months after the first dose.

Results: Between January 18, 2021 and May 7, 2021, 150 older patients with cancer were offered vaccination after a geriatric assessment. The majority were men (61.3%), with a mean age of 81 years. The two most frequent primary tumors were digestive (29.4%) and thoracic (18%). The vaccine acceptance rate was 82.6% and the complete vaccination rate (2 doses) reached 75.3%. Among the vaccinated patients, 15.9% reported mild side effects after the first dose and 23.4% after the second dose, mostly arm pain and fatigue. COVID-19 cases were observed in 5.1% of vaccinated patients compared with 16.7% in unvaccinated patients. Of the 22 vaccinated patients who agreed to have their serum tested, 15 had antibodies against the spike protein at day 21 after the first dose.

Conclusion: Our study showed a high acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccination, with good tolerance in this frail population. These results highlight the benefits of organizing vaccination campaigns at the very beginning of oncological management in older patients.

Clinical trial registration: This study was registered May 23, 2019 in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03960593).

Keywords: Aged; COVID-19; Drug-related side effects and adverse reactions; Geriatric assessment; Medical oncology; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare about this work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study flow chart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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