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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Dec 31;20(1):2357424.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2357424. Epub 2024 May 24.

Immune response of COVID-19 vaccines in solid cancer patients: A meta-analysis

Tiantian Hua  1 , Ru Fan  2 , Yang Fan  1 , Feng Chen  1   3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Immune response of COVID-19 vaccines in solid cancer patients: A meta-analysis

Tiantian Hua et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

Solid cancer patients, compared to their healthy counterparts, are at a greater risk of contracting and suffering from severe complications and poorer prognosis after COVID-19 infections. They also have different immune responses after doses of COVID-19 vaccination, but limited evidence is available to reveal the effectiveness and help to guide immunization programs for this subpopulation; MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases, and clinicaltrials.gov were used to search literature. The pooled seroconversion rate was calculated using a random-effects model and reported with a 95% confidence interval (CI); The review includes 66 studies containing serological responses after COVID-19 vaccination in 13,050 solid cancer patients and 8550 healthy controls. The pooled seropositive rates after the first dose in patients with solid cancer and healthy controls are 55.2% (95% CI 45.9%-64.5% N = 18) and 90.2% (95% CI 80.9%-96.6% N = 13), respectively. The seropositive rates after the second dose in patients with solid cancer and healthy controls are 87.6% (95% CI 84.1%-90.7% N = 50) and 98.9% (95% CI 97.6%-99.7% N = 35), respectively. The seropositive rates after the third dose in patients with solid cancer and healthy controls are 91.4% (95% CI 85.4%-95.9% N = 21) and 99.8% (95% CI 98.1%-100.0% N = 4), respectively. Subgroup analysis finds that study sample size, timing of antibody testing, and vaccine type have influence on the results; Seroconversion rates after COVID-19 vaccination are significantly lower in patients with solid malignancies, especially after the first dose, then shrinking gradually after the following two vaccinations, indicating that subsequent doses or a booster dose should be considered for the effectiveness of this subpopulation.

Keywords: COVID-19; solid cancer; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Forest plot of seroconversion rates after the first dose.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Forest plot of seroconversion rates after the second dose.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Forest plot of seroconversion rates after the third/booster dose.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Forest plot of risk ratio after three doses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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