Journal
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
Volume 10, Issue 7, Pages -Publisher
BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004953
Keywords
Vaccination; COVID-19; IMMUNOLOGY; T-Lymphocytes; Hematologic Neoplasms
Categories
Funding
- Kahlert Foundation
- Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
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A patient with B cell lymphoma developed vaccine-induced anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after receiving the fifth and sixth doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, indicating the potential for T cells to enhance protective immunity in patients with B cell lymphoma. Despite severe treatment-induced suppression of the humoral immune system, the patient was able to mount strong virus-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) responses, even targeting the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These findings have implications for COVID-19 vaccination strategies and antitumor vaccines in immunosuppressed cancer patients.
Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are crucial for protection from future COVID-19 infections, limiting disease severity, and control of viral transmission. While patients with the most common type of hematologic malignancy, B cell lymphoma, often develop insufficient antibody responses to messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, vaccine-induced T cells would have the potential to 'rescue' protective immunity in patients with B cell lymphoma. Here we report the case of a patient with B cell lymphoma with profound B cell depletion after initial chemoimmunotherapy who received a total of six doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. The patient developed vaccine-induced anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies only after the fifth and sixth doses of the vaccine once his B cells had started to recover. Remarkably, even in the context of severe treatment-induced suppression of the humoral immune system, the patient was able to mount virus-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) responses that were much stronger than what would be expected in healthy subjects after two to three doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and which were even able to target the Omicron 'immune escape' variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These findings not only have important implications for anti-COVID-19 vaccination strategies but also for future antitumor vaccines in patients with cancer with profound treatment-induced immunosuppression.
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