Quantitative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antibody status between patients with cancer and healthy individuals with extended vaccination dosing intervals in Canada

Abstract

(1) Background: To date, data addressing the antibody response of cancer patients to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are limited. To our knowledge, this is the first report to evaluate humoral immunity. responses in Canadian cancer patients. (2) Methods: 116 cancer patients and 35 healthy participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The interval between the first and second doses were closely matched during analysis. IgG antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor– binding domain were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). (3) Results: Following two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (including BNT162b2, AZD1222, and mRNA-1273), the mean serum anti-spike protein antibody level was 382.4 BAU/mL (binding antibody unit, SD ± 9.4) in the control group, 265.8 BAU/mL (±145.7) in solid cancer patients, and 168.2 BAU/mL (±172.9) in hematological cancer patients. Observed differences were significantly lower in both solid and hematological groups when comparing to the control group (p ≤ 0.0001). In solid cancer group, patients with cytotoxic chemotherapy demonstrated significantly lower antibody levels (p < 0.01), whereas the rest of the patients showed similar antibody levels as the healthy control. Antibody levels were lower in those on treatment than those off treatment in patients with hematological malignancies (p < 0.0001) but not for those with solid cancers (p = 0.4553). (4) Conclusions: After two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, patients with solid and hematological malignancies demonstrated impaired serological responses. This was particularly prominent if there was cytotoxic chemotherapy or systemic therapy in solid and hematological cancer, respectively.