Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 24, 2025

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
Published on: February 6, 2019
Priority COVID-19 Vaccination for Patients with Cancer while Vaccine Supply Is Limited
Antoni Ribas1, Rajarshi Sengupta2, Trevan Locke2
1Department of Medicine and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. aribas@mednet.ucla.edu.
Patients with cancer, especially those with hematologic malignancies, face heightened risks from COVID-19 due to combined risk factors and treatments. These individuals should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination due to their vulnerability.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Background:
- Published data indicate that patients with cancer represent a highly vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Cancer patients face a convergence of risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes.
- Cancer treatments can potentially compromise immune defenses and increase viral exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the heightened risk of COVID-19 in cancer patients.
- To determine the need for priority vaccination for cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- Review of published series and available evidence on COVID-19 in cancer patients.
- Analysis of risk factors and immune response modulation in cancer patients undergoing treatment.
Main Results:
- Patients with cancer exhibit increased vulnerability to COVID-19.
- Hematologic malignancies are associated with particularly high risk.
- Cancer care and treatments contribute to increased exposure and potentially weakened immunity.
Conclusions:
- Patients with cancer, particularly those with hematologic malignancies, are a very high-risk group for COVID-19.
- Priority COVID-19 vaccination is strongly recommended for cancer patients to mitigate severe outcomes.
More Related Videos
04:04Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Intratumoral Injection of Cisplatin for the Treatment of Isolated Mediastinal Recurrence of Lung Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2017
10:18Author Spotlight: Magnetic Fluorescent Bead-Based Dual-Reporter Flow Analysis of PDL1-Vaxx Peptide Vaccine-Induced Antibody Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction
Published on: July 7, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Treatment Resistant Cancers
Tumor Immunotherapy
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Cancer