Lung Cancer and Vaccines for Covid-19

Hello All! I have a question for everyone's input. I will also be posing these questions to my doctors and my husbands. My husband is in treatment now for Stage IV Lung Cancer. He has received radiation and full chemo and is now on 'maintenance therapy' of one chemo drug, Alimpta and immunotherapy, Keytruda. I am his sole caretaker and I got the flu vaccine and my DPT vaccine update a few months ago but the doctors said my husband shouldn't get his vaccines (the same ones were due). What about the Covid vaccine for him? I will get the Covid Vaccine if I am able (I have severe allergies, figures right?) but if he can't and if I can't, we're left just as vulnerable as ever. I don't even let my poor husband leave the house except for his treatments at this point. Does immunotherapy and chemo mean no vaccines? Hugs

I have terminal stage 4 lung cancer. Ive quit chemo infusion after 6 months.(due to 10 very sick days and took 10 days to recover than back for another infusion). Am on keytruda know for a year. Doing fine. I got flu shoot and was advised to get COVID shot when available. Not sure if I’ll take it but will cross that path when it comes. If you’re in question about husband taking shots check with pharmacist or primary Dr. Good luck.

@cindylb, those are really important questions to ask your doctors. The final word about whether someone should get the COVID vaccine will come from the team that is caring for you and for your husband, like @richcolleen did.

Mayo Clinic recently released this general information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine
– COVID-19 Vaccine https://mcforms.mayo.edu/mc3100-mc3199/mc3127-72.pdf

General information is fantastic to have, but every patient is unique and should rely on specific information from their current doctor. Also note – the information regarding COVID changes by the hour as the experts learn more about this virus. Something published today could be out of date tomorrow.

What's also important is that we all continue to follow safe practices even with the vaccine for a little while longer: masks, physical distance and diligent hand washing.

One other thing to keep in mind is rollouts vary widely from state to state. If I were still living in the state where I was born, I would be behind the pizza delivery person rather than a +65 cancer patient with a compromised immune system and COPD. Something else to consider: we will still have a flu season so for the first time in my life I've gotten a flu shot as well as a pneumonia shot all on the advice of my care team.

@cindylb- Hi Cindy. You are right that you will be vulnerable if neither of you can get the new vaccine. I think that there will be some people who won't be able to get it because trials for the vaccine didn't cover every possible scenario. I'm sure that further testing will continue so that everyone will be covered. However, if your husband's doctor has said no there has to be an explanation. You need to ask him/her why.

Perhaps some immunotherapies or chemos will interfere with this new vaccine or that doctors just don't know if they will.

Please make lists to bring to the doctor with questions. You need to know the answer to why for everything!

@bluelagoon- This is great to hear. I have my CT this Friday. Due to COVID, I am having the scan done at my local hospital instead of my usual one, and that makes me nervous. But we'll see. Other than that, I'm doing what you're doing!

@cindylb @merpreb My non-medical but been down the chemo road guess is that while getting chemo your immune system is so reduced during that period that you nearly follow COVID protocols for every germ. It is likely that they may be concerned that his immune system wouldn't be strong enough to do whatever it's supposed to do in response to the shot.

@bluelagoon- Would you mind clarifying your first sentence?

@merpreb @cindylb Sorry! First, I was trying to start by saying I was not speaking from any medical view, just the view from someone who went through chemo. I got thinking about how my guy put little hand sanitizers around the house since I was going to need to make sure to keep my hands clean. We were told to do almost everything you hear now with COVID, except the mask. I understood that was because while you are getting chemo your immune system is so reduced that you need to watch out for every germ. Does that make sense? (I am known for trailing, run-on sentences that only make sense to me at times!)

We'll talk with the Dr. in the morning. If OK our minds are already made-up. Sooner the better