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ASH 2021 | Responses to COVID-19 vaccines in patients with AML and MDS

Jeffrey Lancet, MD, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, evaluates the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in patients with myeloid malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Patients with AML and MDS will often have a low neutrophil and/or lymphocyte count, which may impair immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines. Blood specimens were taken from 46 patients, 30 with AML and 16 with MDS, who received the mRNA-1273 vaccine prior to both doses and approximately a month after the second dose. 87% of patients were in remission at the time of vaccination and, with the median age being 68 years. A majority of the cohort developed a strong immune response after vaccination, with 69.6% and 95.7% of patients being seropositive after their first and second dose respectively. Vaccine efficacy additionally remained consistent across age, race, gender, and whether patients received prior lines of therapy, and adverse events included mild pain and swelling at the site of injection, fatigue, as well as headaches. Whilst a larger cohort of patients is required to further assess the efficacy of the mRNA-1273 vaccine in patients with AML and MDS, initial data suggest patients overall developed an adequate immune response to COVID-19 after two doses. This press briefing was recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta, GA.