Gastrointestinal Cancer and Vaccination Safety during COVID-19 Pandemic

Budhi Ida Bagus

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2022.9934

Authors

Budhi Ida Bagus Department of Surgery, Sebelas Maret Unviersity, Surakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0310-7415

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2022.9934

Keywords:

Gastrointestinal cancer, COVID-19, Vaccination, Safety

Abstract

BACKGROUND: During our past 18 months, we must be faced with the current COVID-19 pandemic era with much uncertainty in the continuation of multimodality treatment of the gastrointestinal cancer patients. Especially in this immunocompromised group with the history of previous chemotherapy treatment, these patients have an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission. Many studies have been reported about the current recommendation for gastrointestinal cancer patients during this pandemic, but there might be a lack of evidence about the safety of vaccination for the gastrointestinal cancer patients.

AIM: Since the vaccination has been approved by our government medical support, we would evaluate the safety of the COVID-19 vaccination program in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

METHODS: All gastrointestinal cancer patients who have been already diagnosed with cancer will be included in this study. The vaccine-related sign symptoms will be recorded and evaluated. The chemotherapy schedule was not been interrupted following the vaccination. The patient who refused to receive the second vaccination dose will be excluded from this study.

RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were included in this study (our past 6-month evaluation from February till August 2021), colorectal adenocarcinoma was the most common gastrointestinal cancer according to organ-specific (25 patients), the others were gastric adenocarcinoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and small bowel gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Both of them already received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine during this period, we reported there was no side effect related to these and the chemotherapy cycle has not been interrupted during vaccination. All of the patients could be tolerated it well and did not refuse to continue the treatment.

CONCLUSION: There were no significant signs and symptoms of vaccine-related side effects on gastrointestinal cancer patients. COVID-19 vaccination during this pandemic and following the chemotherapy schedule on any kind of gastrointestinal cancer patients was safe and could be suggested as a routine protocol.

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