Linked antibody and immune cell responses to COVID-19 vaccine in lung cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint therapy

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) exhibited lower and more variable antibody responses after two COVID-19 vaccine doses compared to controls, but a third dose increased their antibody levels to match those of controls.

• After two vaccine doses, NSCLC patients showed reduced IgG responses to the spike protein compared to healthy controls.
• A third vaccine dose raised antibody levels in NSCLC patients, achieving levels similar to those seen in controls.
• The most significant increases in antibody concentrations after the third dose were noted in patients who received the ChAdOx1-S vaccine followed by BNT162b2.
• T-cell responses were initially lower in NSCLC patients after two doses but improved significantly with the third dose.
• A correlation was observed between antibody responses and T-cell activity in NSCLC patients after the second and third doses.

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