tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Eur J Cancer
. 2022 Feb 25;166:202-207.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.02.011. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with thymic epithelial tumours with and without active or pre-existing autoimmune disorders: Brief report of a TYME network safety analysis
Federica Giugliano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paolo A Zucali[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Giulia Galli[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Zelmira Ballatore[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Chiara Corti[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pamela T Aliaga[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jacopo Uliano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Grazia Vivanet[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Giuseppe Curigliano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Fabio Conforti[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Paola Queirolo[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Rossana Berardi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sara Manglaviti[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Giulia Apollonio[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Matteo Perrino[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Federica Borea[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Federica D'Antonio[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Marina C Garassino[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Tommaso De Pas[SUP] 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: International guidelines recommend severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine for patients with cancer. A substantial risk of developing vaccine-related autoimmune toxicities could be hypothesised for patients with thymic epithelial tumours (TETs) due to their high risk of autoimmune disorders (ADs). Moreover, a cross-reaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies and various tissue proteins has been shown, and antibodies against nucleoproteins showed overlaps in the autoimmune cross-reaction with antibodies to spike protein. Due to the rarity of TETs, no data addressing this hypothesis are available.
Methods: Patients with TETs who received SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, treated in 4 referral centres of the Italian Collaborative Group for ThYmic MalignanciEs (TYME) network between February 2021 and September 2021, were interviewed through a standardised 15-items questionnaire in order to describe the safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients affected by TETs.
Results: Data from 245 doses of vaccine administered to 126 patients (41 = thymic carcinoma, 85 = thymoma; 38 with AD, of which 26 with active AD) were collected. Nine patients had a previous COVID-19-positive swab. No cases of AD reactivation or worsening of a pre-existing AD were seen in the study population. A new diagnosis of myasthenia gravis likely unrelated to the vaccine was made in two patients after the vaccination. Sixty-four patients (51%) experienced a total of 103 adverse events, all G1/G2, most commonly fatigue, new or worsening muscle pain and chills. None AE required patients' hospitalisation.
Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines appear to be safe in patients with TET, even in case of active or pre-existing AD.
Keywords: COVID vaccine; Sars-Cov-2; Thymic epithelial tumours.
. 2022 Feb 25;166:202-207.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.02.011. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with thymic epithelial tumours with and without active or pre-existing autoimmune disorders: Brief report of a TYME network safety analysis
Federica Giugliano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paolo A Zucali[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Giulia Galli[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Zelmira Ballatore[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Chiara Corti[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pamela T Aliaga[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jacopo Uliano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Grazia Vivanet[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Giuseppe Curigliano[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Fabio Conforti[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Paola Queirolo[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Rossana Berardi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sara Manglaviti[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Giulia Apollonio[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Matteo Perrino[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Federica Borea[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Federica D'Antonio[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Marina C Garassino[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Tommaso De Pas[SUP] 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35306318
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.02.011
Abstract
Background: International guidelines recommend severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine for patients with cancer. A substantial risk of developing vaccine-related autoimmune toxicities could be hypothesised for patients with thymic epithelial tumours (TETs) due to their high risk of autoimmune disorders (ADs). Moreover, a cross-reaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies and various tissue proteins has been shown, and antibodies against nucleoproteins showed overlaps in the autoimmune cross-reaction with antibodies to spike protein. Due to the rarity of TETs, no data addressing this hypothesis are available.
Methods: Patients with TETs who received SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, treated in 4 referral centres of the Italian Collaborative Group for ThYmic MalignanciEs (TYME) network between February 2021 and September 2021, were interviewed through a standardised 15-items questionnaire in order to describe the safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients affected by TETs.
Results: Data from 245 doses of vaccine administered to 126 patients (41 = thymic carcinoma, 85 = thymoma; 38 with AD, of which 26 with active AD) were collected. Nine patients had a previous COVID-19-positive swab. No cases of AD reactivation or worsening of a pre-existing AD were seen in the study population. A new diagnosis of myasthenia gravis likely unrelated to the vaccine was made in two patients after the vaccination. Sixty-four patients (51%) experienced a total of 103 adverse events, all G1/G2, most commonly fatigue, new or worsening muscle pain and chills. None AE required patients' hospitalisation.
Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines appear to be safe in patients with TET, even in case of active or pre-existing AD.
Keywords: COVID vaccine; Sars-Cov-2; Thymic epithelial tumours.