Suboptimal Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Messenger RNA Vaccines in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies: A Need for Vigilance in the Postmasking Era

Mounzer E Agha; Maggie Blake; Charles Chilleo; Alan Wells; Ghady Haidar

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab353

Suboptimal Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Messenger RNA Vaccines in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies: A Need for Vigilance in the Postmasking Era

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Jun 30;8(7):ofab353. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab353. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Authors

Mounzer E Agha¹, Maggie Blake¹, Charles Chilleo², Alan Wells³, Ghady Haidar⁴

Affiliations

¹ Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
² Clinical Laboratories, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
³ Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁴ Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Abstract

We measured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunoglobulin G responses in 67 patients with hematological malignancies after 2 messenger RNA vaccine doses. Forty-six percent were nonresponders; patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia were at highest risk (77% nonresponders). Patients with hematological malignancies should continue wearing masks and socially distancing. Studies of revaccination, boosters, and humoral immune correlates of protection are needed.

Keywords: 19 vaccine; 2; COVID; CoV; SARS; antibody; hematological malignancy.

Grants and funding

K23 AI154546/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States