Hyeon-Jong Kim, Hyunjin Bang, Hyun-Jung Shim, Jun Eul Hwang, Sang-Hee Cho, Ik-Joo Chung, Seung Ji Kang, Jong Gwang Kim, Seung-Hoon Beom, A-Yeung Jang, Joon Young Song, Woo Kyun Bae
Received November 12, 2024 Accepted February 11, 2025 Published online February 12, 2025
Purpose
Current guidelines recommend vaccination at least two weeks before chemotherapy initiation to optimize the immune response despite limited evidence. Our previous study indicated no differences in short-term immune response for the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) according to the vaccination timing. This study aims to investigate the long-term efficacy of PCV13 and clinical factors associated with the respective antibody response.
Materials and Methods
Patients with gastric or colorectal cancer who received adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled and divided into two groups: vaccinated two weeks before chemotherapy (arm A) and vaccinated concurrently with chemotherapy (arm B). Serum samples were collected before vaccination and in one month, three years, and five years. Immune responses were measured using ELISA and multiplex opsonophagocytosis assay.
Results
Including 63 patients, both groups showed an initial increase in the geometric mean titers (GMTs) of opsonophagocytic activity and the geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) of serotype-specific IgG levels after one month, followed by a decline at three and five years, particularly for serotypes 1, 14, 18C, and 19A. Despite the decline, global protection was maintained for five years, although global response decreased. The two arms did not show significant differences in immunogenicity nor in factors such as vaccination timing, age, cancer type, or chemotherapy regimen.
Conclusion
Vaccination timing is not a significant factor for the immunogenicity of PCV13 in cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. Global protection against pneumococcal infection was sustained for >5 years, and global response remained in over half of patients.
Purpose
Pneumococcal vaccination (13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine [PCV13]) is recommended to cancer patients undergoing systemic chemotherapy. However, the optimal time interval between vaccine administration and initiation of chemotherapy has been little studied in adult patients with solid malignancies.
Materials and Methods
We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether administering PCV13 on the first day of chemotherapy is non-inferior to vaccinating 2 weeks prior to chemotherapy initiation. Patients were randomly assigned to two study arms, and serum samples were collected at baseline and 4 weeks after vaccination to analyze the serologic response against Streptococcus pneumoniae using a multiplexed opsonophagocytic killing
assay.
Results
Of the 92 patients who underwent randomization, 43 patients in arm A (vaccination 2 weeks before chemotherapy) and 44 patients in arm B (vaccination on the first day of chemotherapy) were analyzed. Immunogenicity was assessed by geometric mean and fold-increase of post-vaccination titers, seroprotection rates (percentage of patients with post-vaccination titers > 1:64), and seroconversion rates (percentage of patients with > 4-fold increase in post-vaccination titers). Serologic responses to PCV13 did not differ significantly between the two study arms according to all three types of assessments.
Conclusion
The overall antibody response to PCV13 is adequate in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer during adjuvant chemotherapy, and no significant difference was found when patients were vaccinated two weeks before or on the day of chemotherapy initiation.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Vaccination of people with solid tumors and diabetes: existing evidence and recommendations. A position statement from a multidisciplinary panel of scientific societies Marco Gallo, Angioletta Lasagna, Valerio Renzelli, Lelio Morviducci, Alessio Cortellini, Matteo Monami, Giampiero Marino, Stefania Gori, Matteo Verzé, Alberto Ragni, Enzo Tuveri, Laura Sciacca, Stella D’Oronzo, Dario Giuffrida, Annalisa Natalicchio, Franc Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Italian oncologists and vaccinations against infectious diseases: Results of a survey of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology Angioletta Lasagna, Antonella Brunello, Nicola Silvestris, Paolo Pedrazzoli, Massimo Di Maio, Saverio Cinieri Tumori Journal.2024; 110(1): 60. CrossRef
Vaccination of Adults With Cancer: ASCO Guideline Mini Kamboj, Kari Bohlke, Deana M. Baptiste, Kieron Dunleavy, Abbey Fueger, Lee Jones, Amar H. Kelkar, Lisa Y. Law, Kristine B. LeFebvre, Per Ljungman, Eric D. Miller, Larissa A. Meyer, Heather N. Moore, Heloisa P. Soares, Randy A. Taplitz, Edom S. Woldet Journal of Clinical Oncology.2024; 42(14): 1699. CrossRef
Cancer bronchopulmonaire M. Lachâtre, A. Lemaitre, C. Charlier, J. Mazières Revue des Maladies Respiratoires Actualités.2024; 16: e39. CrossRef
Vaccination for seasonal influenza, pneumococcal infection and SARS-CoV-2 in patients with solid tumors: recommendations of the Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica (AIOM) P. Pedrazzoli, A. Lasagna, I. Cassaniti, A. Piralla, A. Squeri, R. Bruno, P. Sacchi, F. Baldanti, M. Di Maio, G.D. Beretta, S. Cinieri, N. Silvestris ESMO Open.2023; 8(3): 101215. CrossRef
Pneumococcal Vaccination in Adults: A Narrative Review of Considerations for Individualized Decision-Making Kay Choong See Vaccines.2023; 11(5): 908. CrossRef
Uptake of vaccination in older Indian patients with cancer: A cross-sectional observational study Tabitha M. Sabu, Vanita Noronha, Abhijith R. Rao, Anita Kumar, Shreya Gattani, Anant Ramaswamy, Anupa Pillai, Ratan Dhekale, Renita Castelino, Sharath Kumar, Arshiya Sehgal, Pallavi Rana, Vikram Gota, Rajendra Badwe, Kumar Prabhash Cancer Research, Statistics, and Treatment.2023; 6(1): 52. CrossRef
Review of Vaccination Recommendations in Guidelines for Non-Communicable Diseases with Highest Global Disease Burden among Adults 75 Years Old and Above Abdul Rahman Ishak, Yu Chun Hsieh, Harshitha Srinivasan, Kay Choong See Vaccines.2023; 11(6): 1076. CrossRef
Impact of influenza vaccination on survival of patients with advanced cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (INVIDIa-2): final results of the multicentre, prospective, observational study Melissa Bersanelli, Elena Verzoni, Alessio Cortellini, Raffaele Giusti, Lorenzo Calvetti, Paola Ermacora, Marilena Di Napoli, Annamaria Catino, Valentina Guadalupi, Giorgia Guaitoli, Vieri Scotti, Francesca Mazzoni, Antonello Veccia, Pamela Francesca Gugl eClinicalMedicine.2023; 61: 102044. CrossRef
Immunological Assessment of Recent Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer Subhadeep Das, Diptikanta Acharya Immunological Investigations.2023; 52(8): 1065. CrossRef
Vaccination anti-infectieuse : pour qui ? Quand ? Comment ? M. Lachâtre, M. Murris-Espin, J. Mazières Revue des Maladies Respiratoires Actualités.2023; 15(2): 2S209. CrossRef
Predictive biomarkers and specific immune responses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in patients with cancer: prospective results from the CACOV-VAC trial Laurie Spehner, Emeline Orillard, Antoine Falcoz, Quentin Lepiller, Adeline Bouard, Hamadi Almotlak, Stefano Kim, Elsa Curtit, Guillaume Meynard, Marine Jary, Charlee Nardin, Kamal Asgarov, Syrine Abdeljaoued, Ugo Chartral, Virginie Mougey, Myriam Ben Khe BMJ Oncology.2023; 2(1): e000054. CrossRef
Novel Pneumococcal Protein-Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine Based on Biotin-Streptavidin Mengze Guo, Xiaonan Guo, Chenxing Zhang, Shidong Zhu, Yue Zhang, Tiejun Gu, Wei Kong, Yongge Wu, Nancy E. Freitag Infection and Immunity.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients: a narrative review Suranjith L Seneviratne, Pamodh Yasawardene, Widuranga Wijerathne, Buddhika Somawardana Journal of International Medical Research.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Invasive pneumococcal disease among adults with hematological and solid organ malignancies: A population-based cohort study Hannah M. Garcia Garrido, Mirjam J. Knol, Jarom Heijmans, Nina M. van Sorge, Elisabeth A.M. Sanders, Heinz-Josef Klümpen, Martin P. Grobusch, Abraham Goorhuis International Journal of Infectious Diseases.2021; 106: 237. CrossRef
Can Cancer Survivors Donate Convalescent Plasma for the Treatment of COVID-19? Ajit Venniyoor Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology.2021; 42(01): 021. CrossRef
Reduced humoral immune response after BNT162b2 coronavirus disease 2019 messenger RNA vaccination in cancer patients under antineoplastic treatment M. Peeters, L. Verbruggen, L. Teuwen, G. Vanhoutte, S. Vande Kerckhove, B. Peeters, S. Raats, I. Van der Massen, S. De Keersmaecker, Y. Debie, M. Huizing, P. Pannus, K. Neven, K.K. Ariën, G.A. Martens, M. Van Den Bulcke, E. Roelant, I. Desombere, S. Angui ESMO Open.2021; 6(5): 100274. CrossRef
Recent Topics of Pneumococcal Vaccination: Indication of Pneumococcal Vaccine for Individuals at a Risk of Pneumococcal Disease in Adults Nobuhiro Asai, Hiroshige Mikamo Microorganisms.2021; 9(11): 2342. CrossRef
Vaccination practices, efficacy, and safety in adults with cancer Laboni Sarkar, Vasu Babu Goli, Nandini Menon, Vijay Maruti Patil, Vanita Noronha, Kumar Prabhash Cancer Research, Statistics, and Treatment.2021; 4(3): 505. CrossRef
Incidence of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Among Adults With Hematological and Solid Organ Malignancies in the Netherlands: A Population Based Cohort Study Hannah M. Garcia Garrido, Mirjam J. Knol, J. Heijmans, Nina M. van Sorge, Elisabeth A.M. Sanders, Heinz-Josef Klümpen, Martin P. Grobusch, Abraham Goorhuis SSRN Electronic Journal .2020;[Epub] CrossRef