A small study of 67 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), lymphomas, and multiple myeloma (MM) found that almost half of them did not develop antibodies and were still at risk of contracting COVID-19, even though they all received two doses of one of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna or Pfizer). The worst response to the vaccine was in patients with CLL, among whom only 23% managed to record antibodies against COVID-19, while 70% of them did not receive specific treatment at the time of vaccination.
"This is in stark contrast to the results of the phase 1 mRNA vaccine immunogenicity studies, in which pronounced antibody synthesis responses were observed in nearly 100% of participants," say the authors, led by Mounzer Agha, MD, director of the Mario Lemieux Blood Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA. They emphasize that "Physicians treating patients with hematological neoplasms and other immunocompetent conditions should be warned about the lack of immune response to the vaccine in such patients."
"It is extremely important for such patients to be aware of their ongoing risk of infection with COVID-19, even after vaccination," said Maunzera Agha.