Expected Usefulness of Fourth Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine for Patients with Underlying Solid Tumor who Previously Received the Primary Heterologous COVID-19 Vaccine
CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2024; 45(04): 301-305
DOI: DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1774328
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immunization frequently requires two standard doses. Due to the likelihood that the population may lose immunity after receiving a standard mass vaccination and the potential for the introduction of a new strain, several scientists are currently advocating the use of a booster dosage of the vaccine.
The authors of this retrospective study used a clinical model for immune response prediction to forecast how solid cancer patients will respond to the fourth dosage of the COVID-19 immunization. In the case of homologous primary backgrounds, the prospective rates of extension of protective efficacy for using viral vector and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines for vaccinees with underlying solid tumor are equal to 11.5 and 16.5%, respectively. In the event of heterologous primary backgrounds, the prospective rates of extension of protective efficacy for using viral vector and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are equal to 2.2 and 7.2%, respectively, for patients with underlying solid cancer. In conclusion, the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine regimen had an effect on the immunogenicity of vaccine recipients with underlying malignancy
Keywords
COVID-19 - dose - fourth - vaccine - cancerPatient Consent
This study is a clinical mathematical model study and does not directly deal with patients, and therefore, ethical approval is not applicable, and the consent form is also not applicable.
Publication History
Article published online:
30 January 2024
© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immunization frequently requires two standard doses. Due to the likelihood that the population may lose immunity after receiving a standard mass vaccination and the potential for the introduction of a new strain, several scientists are currently advocating the use of a booster dosage of the vaccine.
The authors of this retrospective study used a clinical model for immune response prediction to forecast how solid cancer patients will respond to the fourth dosage of the COVID-19 immunization. In the case of homologous primary backgrounds, the prospective rates of extension of protective efficacy for using viral vector and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines for vaccinees with underlying solid tumor are equal to 11.5 and 16.5%, respectively. In the event of heterologous primary backgrounds, the prospective rates of extension of protective efficacy for using viral vector and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are equal to 2.2 and 7.2%, respectively, for patients with underlying solid cancer. In conclusion, the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine regimen had an effect on the immunogenicity of vaccine recipients with underlying malignancy.
Keywords
COVID-19 - dose - fourth - vaccine - cancerIntroduction
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected the entire world.[1] Vaccination is the finest disaster management strategy.[2] Traditionally, two vaccination doses are required for complete immunization. Several experts advise administering an additional COVID-19 booster dose when there is an emerging variant and a possible drop in protective immunity occurs after a normal vaccine administration.[3] [4] [5]
After vaccination, antibody levels may drop, necessitating practice to prevent infection. The effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations of vaccine recipients with background personal illnesses is a significant clinical problem. Immune responses to standard immunizations are poor in immunocompromised people and those with problematic autoimmunity (such as lupus and cancer).[1] Patients with compromised immune systems are at a higher risk of developing significant vaccine resistance.[1] Despite the fact that many people are still concerned, the third and second COVID-19 vaccination doses are occasionally used as booster doses. The additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine is on its way, and the next injection is already planned.
Some scientists advocate for an additional vaccination dose in the event of the emergence of a new type of pathogen as well as the anticipated loss of public immunity after regular mass immunization. Because the efficacy of the additional dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine is unknown, any research into its efficacy is intriguing. The third dosage of the vaccination for patients who have malignancy is the topic for further discussion right now in clinical oncology.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] According to some recent clinical trial findings,[12] [13] [14] [15] the third vaccination dose may be beneficial. Increased immunity is usually observed after the third dose immunization, and there is no significant increase in the incidence of postvaccination adverse events.[12] [13] [14] [15] Those studies, however, are frequently based on a small number of participants and focus on a specific COVID-19 vaccine type. The impact of confounding variables, such as previous asymptomatic COVID-19, is typically not excluded in those studies.[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] Those who have had the recommended vaccinations are also becoming ill as a result of the unusual pathogen strain.
Adding to the third dose of the basic vaccine, several countries, particularly those with a history of nonstandard heterologous vaccination for the first and second doses, are still dealing with an uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak. A third vaccine is already in use, but an additional booster is still required. Many countries, including those in Southeast Asia, have already declared and implemented the additional fourth dose policy. The precise efficacy of the fourth dose vaccine is an intriguing issue that has received little attention. The data on subjects with underlying diseases, such as solid tumors, is also extremely limited. Cancer patients will be given the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine here, and the researchers will use a clinical model to predict how they will react.
Materials and Methods
Study Design
The response of cancer patients to the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was predicted by the researchers using a clinical model. The emphasis is concentrated on mathematical model application in medicine. The method is a typical in silico mathematical modeling tool that is unaffected by complex environmental variables, according to an in vitro and in vivo evaluation. “Primary data”[18] refers to the fundamental data regarding the infection protection effectiveness rates of different types of vaccine. It is crucial to understand that each vaccination has a different immunogenicity mechanism. Vaccines made with various biotechnologies comprise a wide range of necessary components, resulting in a wide range of immunoprotection inductions. Following routine immunization, the maximal level of infection protection efficacy, or effective immune response, will be derived. The immune system's effectiveness will rise with the addition of the dose.
Assessment of a Booster Dose of a Vaccination
Mathematical modeling is used to assess the efficacy of a booster vaccination.[19] The current study is retrospective in nature and uses a mathematical model method. Human test subjects are not required for the evaluation of a novel vaccine whose safety has not yet been established, according to the procedure described for evaluating vaccine efficacy in silico.[19] According to in vitro and in vivo studies, mathematical modeling can generate a reasonable prediction result without the influence of environmental confounding factors.[19]
The arithmetic mathematical model is used in this study to evaluate a booster dose of a vaccination. The model is static and linear in structure. Data that was previously accessible is used as the model's main input. The impact of a booster was examined in a prior clinical experiment that employed the same modeling strategies as this one. The protective effectiveness following the booster dose will probably be regarded as background infection protection efficacy for modeling purposes. When administered as a booster dosage, the additional dose may raise the protective efficacy rate and boostering activity, but it would not exceed the baseline protective efficacy rate. Contrary to popular belief, the background protective efficacy of the booster immunization will not be greater than the ultimate protective efficacy. According to the previously indicated calculation, the final projected infection protection efficacy rate after the fourth dose will be computed as “background protective effect after the third dose + additional protection from the fourth dose.” This model can be used to forecast the immune response to the fourth booster vaccine in vaccine recipients with a baseline solid tumor. The model can be run using straightforward arithmetic operations. The model's mathematical methodology allows for the elimination of biological confounding variables.
This model simulates and forecasts the action of the fourth dosage of the COVID-19 vaccination using fundamental data from a developing Asian nation with a problem of highly endemic, uncontrollable infection.
Background: Some individuals in this condition received two heterologous COVID-19 shots in addition to two booster doses of the vaccine. An inactivated-inactivated, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) viral vector is often utilized for the fundamental doses of the COVID-19 vaccination (https://www.prachachat.net/marketing/news-837033). In brief, in this setting, the primary backgrounds, the first and second doses, are either inactivated vaccine and inactivated vaccine, which is called homologous path, or inactivated vaccine plus viral vaccine, which is called the heterologous path. The third dose is generally an mRNA vaccine. The following modeling study is based on the most recent publicly available data on the protection ability of the third booster. Utilizing earlier data on the immunization's effectiveness in cancer cases, changes to the vaccine's reported efficacy are also made.[20]
The model was developed using a retrospective analysis of clinical data that was made available to the public. Therefore, there are no confounding factors in the effectiveness analysis of the current study. Additionally, there are no human or animal subjects, and therefore informed consent or ethical approval is not required. As discussed earlier, a mathematical model can be developed and used to predict how the fourth dose of the immunization will affect young people who are at risk for developing cancer.
Primary and Secondary Outcome
The primary outcome in this study is the predicted protection rate after the fourth dose. The secondary outcome is the possible expansion of protective efficacy.
Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
In the present clinical mathematical model study, the purposive inclusion is done in order to get the primary data for further simulation, as earlier mentioned. In the event that there is no complete data, an exclusion is set.
Statistical Analysis
Basic mathematics and descriptive statistics are employed in this investigation. A percentage calculation serves as the foundation for the direct arithmetic computation. The estimate of a potential growth of preventive efficacy is based on the mathematical model, which uses arithmetic subtraction. “Possible expansion of protective efficacy” is calculated using the formula “Expected greatest protective efficacy rate after the fourth dose – Background protective effect after the third dose.”
Ethics
All procedures performed in the study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study is a clinical mathematical model study and does not directly deal with patients, and therefore, ethical approval is not applicable, and the consent form is also not applicable.
Results
Protection Rare after the Fourth Dose
A clinical model study indicates that varied fourth dosage regimens can provide varying protection rates, which is according to varying projected infection protection efficacy for various background immunizations ([Table 1]). Vaccination recipients with underlying solid tumors may experience altered immune responses to all vaccine kinds. The greatest protective efficacy rates for the viral vector and mRNA COVID-19 in cases with homologous primary backgrounds are predicted to be 89% and 94%, respectively, after the fourth immunization. The greatest protective efficacy rates for the viral vector and mRNA vaccines in cases with heterologous primary backgrounds are anticipated to be 89 and 94%, respectively, following the fourth immunization.
The fourth dose vaccine | Protective efficacy rate (%) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Specific boostering[a] activity (%) | Background protective effect after the third dose[b] (%) | Expected highest protective efficacy rate after the fourth dose (%) | Possible expansion of protective efficacy (%) | ||
Homologous Primary background[c] | Heterologous primary background[c] | Homologous Primary background | Heterologous primary background | |||
Viral vector | 35.9 | 77.5 | 86.7 | 89 | 11.5 | 2.2 |
mRNA | 23.3 | 77.5 | 86.7 | 94 | 16.5 | 7.2 |
- Hsia W. Emerging new coronavirus infection in Wuhan, China: situation in early 2020. Case Study Case Rep 2020; 10 (01) 8-9
- Soleimanpour S, Yaghoubi A. COVID-19 vaccine: where are we now and where should we go?. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20 (01) 23-44
- Shekhar R, Garg I, Pal S, Kottewar S, Sheikh AB. COVID-19 vaccine booster: to boost or not to boost. Infect Dis Rep 2021; 13 (04) 924-929
- Krause PR, Fleming TR, Peto R. et al. Considerations in boosting COVID-19 vaccine immune responses. Lancet 2021; 398 (10308): 1377-1380
- The Lancet Infectious Diseases. COVID-19 vaccine equity and booster doses. Lancet Infect Dis 2021; 21 (09) 1193
- Pappas G, Saloustros E, Boutis A. et al. Vaccine third dose and cancer patients: necessity or luxury?. ESMO Open 2021; 6 (06) 100306
- Lee ARYB, Wong SY, Chai LYA. et al. Efficacy of covid-19 vaccines in immunocompromised patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2022; 376 (01) e068632
- Sun H, Bu F, Li L, Zhang X, Yan J, Huang T. COVID-19 vaccine response and safety in patients with cancer: an overview of systematic reviews. Front Public Health 2022; 10 (01) 1072137
- Shmueli ES, Lawrence YR, Rahav G. et al. Serological response to a third booster dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine among seronegative cancer patients. Cancer Rep 2022; 5 (08) e1645
- Petrelli F, Luciani A, Borgonovo K. et al. Third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: a systematic review of 30 published studies. J Med Virol 2022; 94 (06) 2837-2844
- Seneviratne SL, Yasawardene P, Wijerathne W, Somawardana B. COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients: a narrative review. J Int Med Res 2022; 50 (03) 3000605221086155
- Munro APS, Janani L, Cornelius V. et al; COV-BOOST study group. Safety and immunogenicity of seven COVID-19 vaccines as a third dose (booster) following two doses of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 or BNT162b2 in the UK (COV-BOOST): a blinded, multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet 2021; 398 (10318): 2258-2276
- Lee LYW, Ionescu MC, Starkey T. et al; UK Coronavirus Cancer Programme. COVID-19: Third dose booster vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough coronavirus infection, hospitalisations and death in patients with cancer: a population-based study. Eur J Cancer 2022; 175 (11) 1-10
- Goel RR, Painter MM, Lundgreen KA. et al. Efficient recall of Omicron-reactive B cell memory after a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. Cell 2022; 185 (11) 1875-1887.e8
- Shmueli ES, Lawrence YR, Rahav G. et al. Serological response to a third booster dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine among seronegative cancer patients. Cancer Rep 2022; 5 (08) e1645
- Shroff RT, Chalasani P, Wei R. et al. Immune responses to two and three doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in adults with solid tumors. Nat Med 2021; 27 (11) 2002-2011
- Guven DC, Incesu FGG, Yildirim HC. et al. Immunogenicity of two doses of inactive COVID-19 vaccine and third booster dose mRNA vaccine in patients with cancer receiving active systemic therapy. Int J Cancer 2023; 152 (04) 679-685
- Sookaromdee P, Wiwanitkit V. New COVID-19 vaccines, its cost and shelf life: a cost effectiveness analysis. Arch Med Res 2021; 52 (04) 453
- Yasri S, Wiwanitkit V. Expected response to the additional third dose of COVID-19 vaccine based on different complete standard vaccination background. Int J Physiol Pathophysiol Pharmacol 2022; 14 (01) 1-3
-
Luangdilok S, Wanchaijiraboon P, Pakvisal N. et al. Immunogenicity after a third COVID-19 mRNA booster in solid cancer patients who previously received the primary heterologous CoronaVac/ChAdOx1 vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10 (10) 1613 Address for correspondenceSora Yasri, PhDKM CenterBangkokThailandEmail: sorayasri@outlook.co.thPublication HistoryArticle published online:30 January 2024© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India
References
- Hsia W. Emerging new coronavirus infection in Wuhan, China: situation in early 2020. Case Study Case Rep 2020; 10 (01) 8-9
- Soleimanpour S, Yaghoubi A. COVID-19 vaccine: where are we now and where should we go?. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20 (01) 23-44
- Shekhar R, Garg I, Pal S, Kottewar S, Sheikh AB. COVID-19 vaccine booster: to boost or not to boost. Infect Dis Rep 2021; 13 (04) 924-929
- Krause PR, Fleming TR, Peto R. et al. Considerations in boosting COVID-19 vaccine immune responses. Lancet 2021; 398 (10308): 1377-1380
- The Lancet Infectious Diseases. COVID-19 vaccine equity and booster doses. Lancet Infect Dis 2021; 21 (09) 1193
- Pappas G, Saloustros E, Boutis A. et al. Vaccine third dose and cancer patients: necessity or luxury?. ESMO Open 2021; 6 (06) 100306
- Lee ARYB, Wong SY, Chai LYA. et al. Efficacy of covid-19 vaccines in immunocompromised patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2022; 376 (01) e068632
- Sun H, Bu F, Li L, Zhang X, Yan J, Huang T. COVID-19 vaccine response and safety in patients with cancer: an overview of systematic reviews. Front Public Health 2022; 10 (01) 1072137
- Shmueli ES, Lawrence YR, Rahav G. et al. Serological response to a third booster dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine among seronegative cancer patients. Cancer Rep 2022; 5 (08) e1645
- Petrelli F, Luciani A, Borgonovo K. et al. Third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: a systematic review of 30 published studies. J Med Virol 2022; 94 (06) 2837-2844
- Seneviratne SL, Yasawardene P, Wijerathne W, Somawardana B. COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients: a narrative review. J Int Med Res 2022; 50 (03) 3000605221086155
- Munro APS, Janani L, Cornelius V. et al; COV-BOOST study group. Safety and immunogenicity of seven COVID-19 vaccines as a third dose (booster) following two doses of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 or BNT162b2 in the UK (COV-BOOST): a blinded, multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet 2021; 398 (10318): 2258-2276
- Lee LYW, Ionescu MC, Starkey T. et al; UK Coronavirus Cancer Programme. COVID-19: Third dose booster vaccine effectiveness against breakthrough coronavirus infection, hospitalisations and death in patients with cancer: a population-based study. Eur J Cancer 2022; 175 (11) 1-10
- Goel RR, Painter MM, Lundgreen KA. et al. Efficient recall of Omicron-reactive B cell memory after a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. Cell 2022; 185 (11) 1875-1887.e8
- Shmueli ES, Lawrence YR, Rahav G. et al. Serological response to a third booster dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine among seronegative cancer patients. Cancer Rep 2022; 5 (08) e1645
- Shroff RT, Chalasani P, Wei R. et al. Immune responses to two and three doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in adults with solid tumors. Nat Med 2021; 27 (11) 2002-2011
- Guven DC, Incesu FGG, Yildirim HC. et al. Immunogenicity of two doses of inactive COVID-19 vaccine and third booster dose mRNA vaccine in patients with cancer receiving active systemic therapy. Int J Cancer 2023; 152 (04) 679-685
- Sookaromdee P, Wiwanitkit V. New COVID-19 vaccines, its cost and shelf life: a cost effectiveness analysis. Arch Med Res 2021; 52 (04) 453
- Yasri S, Wiwanitkit V. Expected response to the additional third dose of COVID-19 vaccine based on different complete standard vaccination background. Int J Physiol Pathophysiol Pharmacol 2022; 14 (01) 1-3
- Luangdilok S, Wanchaijiraboon P, Pakvisal N. et al. Immunogenicity after a third COVID-19 mRNA booster in solid cancer patients who previously received the primary heterologous CoronaVac/ChAdOx1 vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10 (10) 1613