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Oncol Res Treat
. 2021 Nov 1.
doi: 10.1159/000520572. Online ahead of print.
Low Serological Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Cancer Patients at a German University Oncology Center
Oliver Overheu, Daniel Robert Quast, Wolfgang E Schmidt, Türkan Sakinç-Güler, Anke Reinacher-Schick
- PMID: 34724665
- DOI: 10.1159/000520572
Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Germany, as in most other places in Europe or worldwide, are still highly prevalent. Vaccination rates currently remain low, putting cancer patients at a continued risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2, while prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among cancer patients in Germany remains essentially unknown. Methods Between August 2020 and February 2021, patients admitted to our hospital were prospectively enrolled in our COVID-19 biobank. Collected sera were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2-IgM/IgG using Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay. Results One hundred and ten patients with cancer were included in this study. With 71 (65%) patients, most had active cancer treatment, mainly chemotherapy (56%). The most frequent diagnosis was gastrointestinal cancer (54%) with pancreatic cancer being the most common cancer type (24%). Hematologic malignancies were present in 21 patients (17%). Among the cancer patients first diagnosed during the pandemic, the rate of palliative treatment situations tended to be higher (76% vs. 67%, p=0.17). A history of SARS-CoV-2 infection was documented in 15 (14%) patients, however, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 10 (67%) patients only. Of the patients without history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, none displayed SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Conclusion In the present single center experience, a low serological prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among cancer patients even after SARS-CoV-2 infection was found. The results support continued strict preventive measures as well as efforts towards faster vaccination, due to a low immunity level in the population.