ABSTRACT
Introduction: Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is currently recommended. Cancer patients are considered a priority. In Tunisia, these patients were included on the vaccination platform as priorities. The only contraindication to this vaccine is neutropenia. Objectives: The objective of this work was to study the acceptability and adherence of the COVID 19 vaccine in cancer patients. Methods: This is a prospective study including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The study was carried out at the medical department of oncology at Habib Bourguiba hospital in Sfax between March 2021 and June 2021. Results: 186 patients were included including 38 men and 148 women. The average age was 52 years old [24-72 years old]. The site of the tumor was mammary in 61.3% of cases, recto-colic in 11.3%, and at the cavum in 3.8%. The tumor was localized in 52.7% and metastatic in 47.3% of cases. The chemotherapy was neoadjuvant in 9.1% of cases, adjuvant in 44.1% of cases and palliative in 46.2%. Administration of targeted therapies was observed in 25.3% of patients. Ten patients (5.3%) have a COVID infection during their treatment. Ninety-nine patients (53.2%) accepted the vaccine. Sixty-nine patients (37.1%) refused and eighteen patients (9.7%) were hesitant. Thirty patients (16.1%) were enrolled at the vaccine registration site. Twenty patients (10.7%) had the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The tolerance of the vaccination was good. Conclusion: It is important to vaccinate all cancer patients under chemotherapy given the severity of the COVID-19 infection and this after checking the blood count. In our series, 53.2% of patients agreed to have the COVID19 vaccine. This rate was higher than that described in the literature which is 37.4%. This can be explained by the awareness of patients through the vaccination brochures.