Published Jan 26, 2021

Everyone Is Talking About Monoclonal Antibodies as Treatment For Reducing Risk of Symptomatic COVID Is It an Option for Those With Cancer?

There is a lot of talk around monoclonal antibodies and how they might be able to help those with COVID-19. While there is much to understand around how it works and if it's right for those fighting cancer, the outlook is positive.

SurvivorNet Staff

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Monoclonal Antibodies, Cancer, & COVID-19

The vaccine, though some are finding it hard to get right now, is the best strategy to prevent infection with COVID-19.
If you are unable to get the vaccine, there may be a new option using a monoclonal antibody although the data has not been published.
All people with cancer should discuss with their doctors what is the right course of action for them.

If you are fighting cancer and are struggling to get the COVID-19 vaccine, there may soon be another option to help reduce your risk of getting the virus responsible for turning our lives upside down. New research just released indicates that the monoclonal antibody, bamlanivimab, may reduce the risk of developing symptomatic COVID. In the press release, which has not undergone peer review, it reported that those who received the monoclonal antibody, compared with a placebo, were less likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

“The monoclonal antibody therapies are approved for patients with significant risk factors such as underlying malignancy, and certainly cancer patients who have COVID-19 infection should consider monoclonal antibody treatment. As of now, these are only approved for patients with mild COVID who are not hospitalized.” Dr. Catherine Diefenbach

The new study reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 80% among a group of 299 nursing home residents. The new drug, bamlanivimab, is a type of drug known as a monoclonal antibody. In those who are unable to receive the COVID vaccine this may represent another option to reduce the risk of developing the virus that has caused a global pandemic. However, Dr. Catherine Diefenbach, Associate Professor of Medicine and Translational Director of Lymphoma of the Perlmutter Cancer Center tells SurvivorNet “The data on prevention of COVID in patients who have high risk exposure is intriguing but the data has not been published.”

Although this may be an option in the future for now doctors will need to await the full trial results to better understand the role monoclonal antibodies play in preventing symptomatic COVID infections. The take home message is that if you are fighting cancer and do not have access to the vaccine you should discuss what options are available with your doctors.

How Do Monoclonal Antibodies Work?

This class of drugs is not new and is used to treat many diseases from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer. In this specific case the monoclonal antibody is designed to target and attack one of the proteins (the spike protein) on the surface of the virus responsible for COVID-19 infections. By binding to this protein, the monoclonal antibodies can block the virus from entering the cell. Basically, the drug works to seek out the virus and keep it from getting in the cells of your body.

“The use of COVID specific antibodies for high risk patients, who are COVID positive, is a major step forward.” Dr. Sager

This drug has previously shown promise in treating high risk patients who are COVID-19 positive before they develop severe symptoms and require hospitalization. Dr. Sagar Lonial, Chief Medical Officer of the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University tells SurvivorNet that “the use of COVID specific antibodies for high risk patients who are COVID positive is a major step forward.” Dr. Diefenbach agrees that monoclonal antibody therapy should be considered in high risk patients, such as those with cancer, who are known COVID positive to help prevent severe symptoms. However, to better understand if these drugs can be used to prevent COVID doctors will need to see the published results. If you are a cancer patient or are at high risk of complications from COVID-19 you should discuss with your doctor what is the best strategy for you to reduce your risk of getting the virus.

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