The pandemic has severely affected patients with lung cancer and hindered lung cancer research. Lung cancer patients also have a higher risk of developing COVID-19 due to their compromised immune system. The combination of lung cancer and COVID-19 can be detrimental. Luckily, COVID-19 vaccines can provide lung cancer patients with some protection from the virus.
Are vaccines safe for all lung cancer patients?
While there is still a lot of misinformation circulating in the black community regarding the vaccine, LUNGevity recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for virtually all lung cancer patients, with the exception of those with a known severe reaction to polyethylene glycol or polysorbate.
You should discuss your options with your doctor. The ultimate decision of whether to receive a vaccine or not may also be influenced by your health status as well as the type and timing of your cancer treatment.
Are vaccines safe for patients in treatment?
Talk with your doctor to see if you can get a vaccine during active cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation therapy. You need an active immune system for the vaccine to work. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy can weaken the immune response and make the vaccine less effective.
In general, patients getting cancer treatment may get the COVID-19 vaccine if:
- Substances in that vaccine would not be harmful or disruptive to their cancer treatment
- You and your doctors can time the vaccination for when your immune system is active, such as between cycles of therapy and after a waiting period if you have received a stem cell transplant or immune globulin treatment
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Will your medicine affect the vaccine?
If you plan on getting the vaccine, it is safe to still take your medication. In fact, you should not stop taking your medicine unless your doctor instructs you to.
If you have concerns about how your medicine may affect the vaccine, you can call your doctor to make sure. It’s important to share decisions with your doctor so they can guide your
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use of medicines, testing, and treatments during the pandemic.
Should mammograms and imaging tests wait?
Yes. Some people who get a vaccine may have swelling or tenderness in their lymph nodes. It is possible that this swelling will show up on imaging tests and could be mistaken for certain cancers — such as breast, head and neck, melanoma (skin), and lymphoma.
The swelling usually happens within 2-4 days after getting a vaccine and can last for about 10 days. On imaging tests, lymph node swelling may show up for even longer.
If you develop swollen lymph nodes after you get a vaccine, talk to your doctor. Most of the time, they will recommend that you wait at least 4 weeks before getting tests so the swelling has time to disappear.
If possible, schedule any routine imaging before you get a COVID-19 vaccine. If you are due for a mammogram, schedule the mammogram either 6 weeks before your 1st COVID-19 vaccine dose or 6 weeks after the 2nd dose.
If you’ve had cancer, ask for your COVID-19 vaccine to be given in the arm on the other side of your body from where the cancer is located, if possible.
Did clinical trials test the vaccines in people with cancer?
Patients with cancer made up a small fraction of participants in the vaccine clinical trials, representing 4% of participants in Pfizer’s trial. Despite this, there is no concern that the vaccines are unsafe for cancer patients.
The FDA also recently granted full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine proving that the vaccine meets the “high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.”
Overall, the vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in reducing the symptoms and side effects of those that contract COVID-19. They are extremely effective in protecting the immune compromised, such as patients with lung cancer, from having serious life-threatening complications. If you are considering getting a vaccine, you should discuss your options with your doctor as well as which vaccine may work best for you.
Will you need a booster shot?
Based on current studies, it is recommended that immunocompromised patients get a third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Patients should wait at least 4 weeks after their 2nd shot to get their 3rd shot. We are still waiting on further guidance for people who got a single J&J shot.
The NCCN recommends that all patients on active cancer treatment should get a 3rd shot. They also recommend that caretakers should consider getting a 3rd dose.
This content is brought to you by The Lungevity Foundation and the BDO Editorial Staff.
