Adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in cancer patients: The CAPTURE study

ABSTRACT

There is a pressing need to characterise the nature, extent and duration of immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in cancer patients, to inform risk-reduction strategies and preserve cancer outcomes. CAPTURE is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of cancer patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) integrating immune profiles and clinical annotation. We evaluated 529 blood samples and 1051 oronasopharyngeal swabs from 144 cancer patients and 73 HCWs and correlated with >200 clinical variables. In patients with solid cancers and HCWs, S1-reactive and neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were detectable five months post-infection. In these participants, SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses were detected. CD4+ T-cell response correlated with S1 antibody levels. Patients with haematological malignancies had impaired but partially compensated immune responses, depending on malignancy and therapy. Overall, cancer stage, disease status, and therapies did not correlate with immune responses. These findings have implications for understanding individual risks and potential effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in this population.