Flu Shots for Cancer Patients
- Experts recommend the flu vaccine for cancer patients.
- Experts tell SurvivorNet that it's safer to get the "shot" version of the vaccine not the "mist."
- If you have cancer, your medical care team should sign off on the timing of your vaccine to make sure it is as effective as possible.
- Experts warn that this could be a severe flu season since COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates have eased up and fewer flu cases than normal last year has likely caused reduced population-level immunity to the seasonal flu.
According to the CDC, influenza (flu) viruses spread year-round, but flu activity generally peaks between December and February, though it can last as late as May. And Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the CDC, recently said influenza can claim between 12,000 and 52,000 lives and cause 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations in the United States every year.
Read MoreWhy Should Cancer Patients Get the Flu Vaccine?
Dr. Emily Nachtigal, a UCLA-Olive View hematology-oncology fellow, tells SurvivorNet that a majority of cancer patients are immunocompromised due to their “underlying cancer or the treatment they are receiving.” This is important to note because immunocompromised patients are at increased risk of complications from influenza and COVID-19, such as pneumonia or hospitalization. Cancer Centers Share the Steps They're Taking to Keep Patients with Compromised Immune Systems Safe from the Coronavirus“It is important for cancer patients to receive the inactivated influenza vaccine (as well as the Covid vaccine) to help prevent these complications,” she tells SurvivorNet.
She also says that cancer patients should remember their flu and COVID-19 vaccines because not only can they prevent the illness itself, but it can also decrease the likelihood of what she calls “secondary risks” like treatment delays.
“I have a patient who was initially diagnosed with localized, curable breast cancer who unfortunately contracted Covid (pre-vaccine) and was hospitalized for months, leading to significant delay in chemotherapy and surgical resection,” she explained. “She was subsequently found to have metastatic disease that could no longer be cured. Although there is no way to know if this still would’ve happened without the delay, it’s hard to ignore.”
That being said, Dr. Nachtigal strongly recommends all of her patients receive vaccines for both influenza and COVID-19.
“As an oncologist, I prescribe incredibly toxic medication to help save people’s lives and with this, it’s as easy as just giving a vaccine,” she said of the flu vaccine. “I wish all things in medicine could be that preventable.”
Special Considerations for Cancer Patients
Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, agrees with Dr. Nachtigal on the importance of flu vaccines for cancer patients since they are more likely to get the flu and be “much sicker than the average person” if they do. But in a previous conversation with SurvivorNet, she explained that cancer patients should be wary of what type of vaccine they receive given that there are actually two different types of flu vaccines available:
- The “shot,” which is administered with a needle in the arm, is technically an “inactive” version of the flu virus.
- The “mist,” on the other hand, is given as a nasal spray and provides a “live” version of the virus.
“Patients with cancer should only get the flu shot, the inactive vaccine, as opposed to the nasal spray, the live vaccine,” Dr. Geiger said.
Another consideration for cancer patients is the timing of their flu shot. And while an ideal timing might vary from person to person, any cancer-care team should be able to recommend the best timing for your vaccine.
“There are some treatments that might alter the body’s ability to mount an immune response,” Dr. Nachtigal explained. “So patients should talk to their oncologist about the preferred timing of vaccination to help make it as effective as possible.”
What Could Be Different about this Year’s Flu Season?
Dr. Nachtigal says that receiving the flu shot is just as important as ever, but she still worries that this year could be a worse flu season because of pandemic-related factors.
“I think influenza season will likely be worse this year because COVID restrictions and mask mandates are down this year compared to last year at this time,” she explained.
Dr. Walensky also worries that this year could be a “severe flu season.”
“Last year, there were very few flu cases, largely because of masking and physical distancing and other prevention measures put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said in the White House Press Briefing earlier this month. “With modest flu virus activity since March of 2020, CDC's flu experts are concerned that reduced population-level immunity to the seasonal flu could place us at risk for a potentially severe flu season this year.”
Dr. Walensky also warned that even though COVID-19 hospitalizations were decreasing, many hospitals and intensive care units across the country are at full capacity.
“An increase in flu infections and flu severity could put an additional burden on our healthcare system and increased stress on our nation's healthcare workers,” she said. “Please do your part to ensure that everyone is best protected against flu by getting vaccinated. CDC recommends flu vaccination for anyone who is six months or older. And just like with COVID-19, we need as many people as possible to be vaccinated for influenza so that we can provide protection for those who are at most risk, such as adults who are over 65; those of any age who have chronic health conditions, such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes; and children, especially under five, who are at risk of severe complications from the flu.”
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