Cancer patients must take their COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots on time, UAE oncologist advises

It is better to have 70 per cent protection than zero protection, doctor says

Last updated: February 04, 2022 | 09:34

Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary, Chief Reporter

4 MIN READ

In case of cancers like lymphoma where the immune system is compromised for years, it is still important to go ahead with COVID-19 vaccination and boosters on time, a specialist in UAE said.

Shutterstock

Dubai: As the world observes Cancer Day today, immunocompromised patients suffering from a variety of cancers are being advised to go ahead and take their COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots, in close consultation with their treating physician.

In an interaction with Gulf News, to mark World Cancer Day, Dr Wessam Ahmed, Department Chair for Haematology, Medical Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD), highlighted the challenges that cancer patients faced during the peak of the pandemic.

“The diagnosis on cancer can be very stressful, especially in these times of the pandemic when cancer patients seeking chemotherapy or consultation at hospitals had to be protected from exposure to COVID-19 at the health-care facility. The last two years were very challenging for all cancer patients,” said Dr Ahmed.

Citing the reasons, Dr Ahmed said: “A cancer patient undergoing treatment has a compromised or weak immune system. Besides, when a cancer patient contracts COVID-19, we cannot go ahead with the treatment protocol for cancer and have to halt all sessions unless he or she recovers. That can result in loss of crucial time for the patient. We, at CCAD, follow strict COVID-19 protocols and guidelines issued by the Department of Health — Abu Dhabi, while treating all our cancer patients.”

Why COVID-19 vaccine and boosters are a must for all cancer patients?

Dr Ahmed said it was important for all cancer patients to get their COVID-19 vaccines and boosters as per protocol. “Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy might have suppressed immune systems and may have to delay their vaccination by a couple of weeks. However, this can only be decided by an active consult with the oncologist treating them. Getting the COVID-19 vaccination is important. In case of cancers like lymphoma where the immune system is compromised for years, it is still important to go ahead with COVID-19 vaccination and boosters on time because it is better to have 60-70 per cent protection against the virus than to have zero protection. But each patient must consult his or her treating oncologist to determine the correct time for the vaccination.”

Highlighting the case of a young individual with lymphoma, Dr Ahmed pointed out: “This person was not vaccinated and when he contracted COVID-19, his lymphoma treatment was delayed by nearly four months. This could have caused serious lapses, but luckily, the individual recovered, went under treatment for cancer and responded well. Later, this person was able to take COVID-19 vaccine and it’s working fine for him.

Rising cancer cases in Middle East

In the meanwhile, a new study conducted by the Swedish Institute for Heath Economics (IHE) has cautioned that cancer cases in the Middle East and Africa region, including the UAE, are likely to double by 2040 due to the increasing risk posed by smoking, obesity and other poor lifestyle choices.

The IHE report has been compiled in association with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and released on the occasion of World Cancer Day. It warns that newly-diagnosed cancer cases could rise from 410,000 in 2020 to 720,000 by 2040, with factors such as population growth, an ageing society and changes in lifestyle all contributing to a faster rise in cancer cases in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region than anywhere else in the world.

Disease denial causing delay in treatment

The IHE report lists factors such as low health literacy among the general population about the early signs of cancer, fears of social stigma following a cancer diagnosis, and financial and job insecurity among the country’s expatriates as the leading factors in poor disease management.

In order to create greater awareness, IHE aims to support a three-year campaign by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which is being launched this year under the theme ‘Close the Care Gap.’

However, although the IHE report points to cancer afflicting patients at a younger age in MEA, it also says that the region’s youthful demographic could be a ‘silver lining’ in attempts to combat the disease.

Thomas Hofmarcher, the health economist at IHE, said: “The number of newly-diagnosed cancer cases has been increasing in all MEA countries, partly related to demographic changes and unfavourable trends such as smoking and obesity. It means that cancer is set to become the number two cause of disease burden in the MEA countries. He added that higher investment per capita in cancer care could provide better survival rates.