Is it safe for cancer patients to get the COVID-19 vaccine? – WANE

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Many oncologists are being asked by patients if its safe for them to get the vaccine once it becomes available.

According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 1,806,590 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States and 606,520 people died from the disease in the year 2020 alone. With the disease touching so many lives, it can make healthcare decisions more difficult.

Those types of questions are not unexpected, said Dr. Neil Sharma, the president of Parkviews Cancer Institute

The short answer is yes, it is safe for most cancer patients to get vaccinated.

We dont have direct studies on cancer patients, said Dr. Sharma.Therefore, the CDC is still allowing for patients who have active cancer treatment or had cancer in the past, to get vaccinated at this time.

However, there are some caveats. Dr. Sharma says CDC guidelines do allow for patients who have active cancer treatment or had cancer in the past, to get vaccinated as long as they dont have certain key contraindications.

For example, Dr. Sharma says that patients who have had a lymphoma and required a bone marrow transplant, may want to pause around getting vaccinations.

If youve had a stem cell transplant I would recommend that you talk to your bone marrow transplant experts, prior to getting the vaccination, said Dr. Sharma.

He also says anyone who has had a severe adverse reaction to some of the listed components of the vaccine in the past, would not necessarily be eligible for it.

For the most part, the potential side effects cancer patients getting vaccinated could see are the same as any other patients. The only difference, according to Dr. Sharma, would be if theyre in an immunocompromised state where their white blood cell count is significantly lower.

There are many of the patients we asked them to get a complete blood cell count and speak to their oncologist, said Dr. Sharma. After, their oncologist will often approve the vaccination unless some contraindications are seen, either on the complete blood cell count or just based upon their history with allergies.

Ultimately, Dr. Sharma says cancer patients should talk with their oncologist and primary care physician about the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated.

If they have concerns or may have a pause on getting vaccinated, its still worthwhile having the conversation, said Dr. Sharma. Its always worthwhile to consider vaccination, because the risks of coronavirus can be quite high, especially in our elderly populations who may be treated for cancer.

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Is it safe for cancer patients to get the COVID-19 vaccine? - WANE