SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and cancer therapy: a successful but mindful mix

Ce dossier présente un ensemble d'articles concernant la prise en charge des cancers durant la crise sanitaire liée au COVID-19

Résumé en anglais

Cancer patients are commonly considered at higher risk to develop a worse course coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to have increased mortality rates due to severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection . Thus, screening programs for COVID-19 and preventive vaccination programs against SARS-CoV-2 in frail subjects, have identified cancer patients amongst the earliest populations to be included , with the necessity of high adherence rates . However, the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in cancer patients is still uncertain, and several questions remain to be addressed for the best efficacy of ongoing vaccination campaigns, and to optimally face the prospective risk posed by emerging, more infectious, SARS-CoV-2 variants. Among the many issues one could list are: i, the effectiveness of vaccination on seroconversion of cancer patients compared to healthy individuals; ii, the appropriate timing of vaccination in the course of treatment; iii, the interference on the immunization against SARS-CoV-2 of ongoing anti-cancer therapies, including their possible differential effect(s); iiii, the immunogenicity of diverse SARS-CoV-2 vaccine types. Providing experimental evidence to elucidate these yet unanswered questions is a priority to eventually optimize the protection of cancer patients from SARS-CoV-2 infection. (...)