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Lee LYW, Ionescu MC, Starkey T, Little M, Tilby M, Tripathy AR, Mckenzie HS, Al-Hajji Y, Appanna N, Barnard M, Benny L, Burnett A, Cattell EL, Clark JJ, Khan S, Ghafoor Q, Panneerselvam H, Illsley G, Harper-Wynne C, Hattersley RJ, Lee AJ, Lomas O, Liu JK, McCauley A, Pang M, Pascoe JS, Platt JR, Patel G, Patel V, Potter VA, Randle A, Rigg AS, Robinson TM, Roques TW, Roux RL, Rozmanowski S, Taylor H, Tuthill MH, Watts I, Williams S, Beggs A, Iveson T, Lee SM, Middleton G, Middleton M, Protheroe A, Fittall MW, Fowler T, Johnson P. COVID-19: Third dose booster vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough coronavirus infection, hospitalisations and death in patients with cancer: A population-based study. Eur J Cancer 2022; 175:1-10. [PMID: 36084618 PMCID: PMC9276646 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.06.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE People living with cancer and haematological malignancies are at an increased risk of hospitalisation and death following infection with acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Coronavirus third dose vaccine boosters are proposed to boost waning immune responses in immunocompromised individuals and increase coronavirus protection; however, their effectiveness has not yet been systematically evaluated. METHODS This study is a population-scale real-world evaluation of the United Kingdom's third dose vaccine booster programme for cancer patients from 8th December 2020 to 7th December 2021. The cancer cohort comprises individuals from Public Health England's national cancer dataset, excluding individuals less than 18 years. A test-negative case-control design was used to assess the third dose booster vaccine effectiveness. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to compare risk in the cancer cohort relative to the general population. RESULTS The cancer cohort comprised of 2,258,553 tests from 361,098 individuals. Third dose boosters were evaluated by reference to 87,039,743 polymerase chain reaction coronavirus tests. Vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough infections, symptomatic infections, coronavirus hospitalisation and death in cancer patients were 59.1%, 62.8%, 80.5% and 94.5%, respectively. Lower vaccine effectiveness was associated with a cancer diagnosis within 12 months, lymphoma, recent systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) or radiotherapy. Patients with lymphoma had low levels of protection from symptomatic disease. In spite of third dose boosters, following multivariable adjustment, individuals with cancer remain at an increased risk of coronavirus hospitalisation and death compared to the population control (OR 3.38, 3.01, respectively. p < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS Third dose boosters are effective for most individuals with cancer, increasing protection from coronavirus. However, their effectiveness is heterogenous and lower than the general population. Many patients with cancer will remain at the increased risk of coronavirus infections even after 3 doses. In the case of patients with lymphoma, there is a particularly strong disparity of vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough infection and severe disease. Breakthrough infections will disrupt cancer care and treatment with potentially adverse consequences on survival outcomes. The data support the role of vaccine boosters in preventing severe disease, and further pharmacological intervention to prevent transmission and aid viral clearance to limit the disruption of cancer care as the delivery of care continues to evolve during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennard Y W Lee
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford; Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham; Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham.
| | | | - Thomas Starkey
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham
| | - Martin Little
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Michael Tilby
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Arvind R Tripathy
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Hayley S Mckenzie
- Oncology Department, University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Emma L Cattell
- Department of Cancer, Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
| | - James J Clark
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London
| | - Sam Khan
- Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester
| | - Qamar Ghafoor
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
| | | | | | | | | | - Alvin Jx Lee
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London; University College London Hospitals NHS Trust
| | - Oliver Lomas
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Justin Kh Liu
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds
| | | | | | - Jennifer S Pascoe
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
| | - James R Platt
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds
| | - Grisma Patel
- Cancer Division, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London
| | | | - Vanessa A Potter
- Department of Oncology, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire
| | | | - Anne S Rigg
- Department of Oncology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
| | | | - Tom W Roques
- Cancer Services, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
| | - René L Roux
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
| | | | | | - Mark H Tuthill
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
| | | | - Sarah Williams
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Andrew Beggs
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham
| | - Tim Iveson
- Cancer Sciences, University of Southampton
| | - Siow M Lee
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London; University College London Hospitals NHS Trust; CRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London
| | - Gary Middleton
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham; Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
| | | | - Andrew Protheroe
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
| | | | | | - Peter Johnson
- Department of Oncology, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire; Cancer Sciences, University of Southampton
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Lee LYW, Starkey T, Ionescu MC, Little M, Tilby M, Tripathy AR, Mckenzie HS, Al-Hajji Y, Barnard M, Benny L, Burnett A, Cattell EL, Charman J, Clark JJ, Khan S, Ghafoor Q, Illsley G, Harper-Wynne C, Hattersley RJ, Lee AJX, Leonard PC, Liu JKH, Pang M, Pascoe JS, Platt JR, Potter VA, Randle A, Rigg AS, Robinson TM, Roques TW, Roux RL, Rozmanowski S, Tuthill MH, Watts I, Williams S, Iveson T, Lee SM, Middleton G, Middleton M, Protheroe A, Fittall MW, Fowler T, Johnson P. Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 breakthrough infections in patients with cancer (UKCCEP): a population-based test-negative case-control study. Lancet Oncol 2022; 23:748-757. [PMID: 35617989 PMCID: PMC9126559 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(22)00202-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with cancer are at increased risk of hospitalisation and death following infection with SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, we aimed to conduct one of the first evaluations of vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients with cancer at a population level. METHODS In this population-based test-negative case-control study of the UK Coronavirus Cancer Evaluation Project (UKCCEP), we extracted data from the UKCCEP registry on all SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results (from the Second Generation Surveillance System), vaccination records (from the National Immunisation Management Service), patient demographics, and cancer records from England, UK, from Dec 8, 2020, to Oct 15, 2021. Adults (aged ≥18 years) with cancer in the UKCCEP registry were identified via Public Health England's Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset between Jan 1, 2018, and April 30, 2021, and comprised the cancer cohort. We constructed a control population cohort from adults with PCR tests in the UKCCEP registry who were not contained within the Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset. The coprimary endpoints were overall vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough infections after the second dose (positive PCR COVID-19 test) and vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough infections at 3-6 months after the second dose in the cancer cohort and control population. FINDINGS The cancer cohort comprised 377 194 individuals, of whom 42 882 had breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections. The control population consisted of 28 010 955 individuals, of whom 5 748 708 had SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections. Overall vaccine effectiveness was 69·8% (95% CI 69·8-69·9) in the control population and 65·5% (65·1-65·9) in the cancer cohort. Vaccine effectiveness at 3-6 months was lower in the cancer cohort (47·0%, 46·3-47·6) than in the control population (61·4%, 61·4-61·5). INTERPRETATION COVID-19 vaccination is effective for individuals with cancer, conferring varying levels of protection against breakthrough infections. However, vaccine effectiveness is lower in patients with cancer than in the general population. COVID-19 vaccination for patients with cancer should be used in conjunction with non-pharmacological strategies and community-based antiviral treatment programmes to reduce the risk that COVID-19 poses to patients with cancer. FUNDING University of Oxford, University of Southampton, University of Birmingham, Department of Health and Social Care, and Blood Cancer UK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennard Y W Lee
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Thomas Starkey
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Martin Little
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael Tilby
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Arvind R Tripathy
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Hayley S Mckenzie
- Oncology Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Youssra Al-Hajji
- Birmingham Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | | | | | - Emma L Cattell
- Department of Cancer, Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Taunton, UK
| | - Jackie Charman
- National Disease Registration Service, NHS Digital, London, UK
| | - James J Clark
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sam Khan
- Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Qamar Ghafoor
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Catherine Harper-Wynne
- Kent Oncology Centre, University of Kent and Kent and Medway Medical School, Maidstone, UK
| | - Rosie J Hattersley
- Department of Oncology, Torbay Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Torquay, UK
| | - Alvin J X Lee
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust and University College London, London, UK
| | - Pauline C Leonard
- Cancer Services, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Romford, UK
| | - Justin K H Liu
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Matthew Pang
- Department of Health and Social Care, London, UK
| | - Jennifer S Pascoe
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - James R Platt
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Vanessa A Potter
- Department of Oncology, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK
| | | | - Anne S Rigg
- Department of Oncology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Tim M Robinson
- Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tom W Roques
- Cancer Services, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
| | - René L Roux
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Mark H Tuthill
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Isabella Watts
- Department of Academic Oncology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Sarah Williams
- Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Tim Iveson
- Cancer Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Siow Ming Lee
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust and University College London, London, UK; CRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust and University College London, London, UK
| | - Gary Middleton
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Mark Middleton
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew Protheroe
- Department of Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - Peter Johnson
- NHS England, London, UK; Cancer Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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