The findings come at a time when corona virus cases are declining in many parts of the world. Nevertheless, many cancer patients and those at high risk for Kovid remain at home due to the threat of infection.
The UK Corona Virus Cancer Evaluation Project on Lancet Oncology published the study on Monday. This study is considered to be the largest test in the world on the effectiveness of Kovid-19 vaccination in cancer patients. The study was led by the Universities of Oxford, Birmingham and Southampton and the government-led UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The team monitored 3.77 lakh cancer patients over the age of 18. This includes those who were diagnosed between January 2018 and April 2021. All of them received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and underwent SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing in England between December 2020 and October 2021.
The researchers compared the number of Kovid patients, Kovid-related hospitalizations and deaths among these cancer patients with the non-cancer population. Analysis shows that the effectiveness of the vaccine is 69.8% in the general population who received two doses of the vaccine during the study period. At the same time, the overall effectiveness of the vaccine in cancer patients is less than 65.5%.
Studies show that they help prevent cancer by stopping the growth of free radicals in our body. The team found that “3-6 months after the second vaccine, the effectiveness of the vaccine decreased from 61.4% of the general population to 47.0% of cancer patients.”
Peter Johnson, a professor of medical oncology at the University of Southampton, said the findings also highlight the importance of booster programs in cancer patients. University of Oxford, National Institute of Health and Care Research Oxford Biomedical Research Center, University of Southampton, University of Birmingham, UK Health Security Agency and Blood Cancer Support.
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