CAR T-Cell Therapy and COVID-19 Vaccinations: Muhammad Bilal Abid, MD, MRCP

This content originally appeared on our sister site, OncLive.

OncLive spoke with Muhammad Bilal Abid, MD, MRCP, assistant professor of medicine, Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, to learn more about the potential impact of CAR T-cell therapy on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Abid discussed how CAR T-cell therapy may lessen patients' response to COVID-19 vaccinations, and that patients that undergo treatment should be revaccinated for COVID-19 following infusion.

Additionally, it has been shown that if the patient received the COVID-19 vaccine within 6 months of receiving CAR T-cell infusion, response rates were not as favorable, Abid explains. Patients who received the vaccination more than 6 months after infusion have improved response rates, likely because they have better immune reconstitution, Abid concludes.