Many oncologists are being asked by their patients if they should get the covid vaccine when it becomes available to them.

Some cancer patients are afraid that adding one more thing during treatment may not be good.

Dr. Stanley Marks, chairman of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and a nationally recognized leader in oncology pathways, spoke to the Tribune-Review about ways cancer patients can protect themselves.

Question: Should cancer patients get the covid vaccine?

Answer: In general, we do recommend that most of our cancer patients do get the vaccine. There’s a small subset of cancer patients — for example, patients that have recently had a bone marrow transplant or some immuno­suppressive therapy — where we would recommend they wait two or three months. But in general, the vast majority of cancer patients should get the covid vaccine.

Q: What concerns do you have for patients who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments about getting the covid vaccine on top of all that?

A: You have to balance the risks of the vaccine versus the risks of getting covid, and, certainly, there are far greater risks with a cancer patient getting covid. We know that if cancer patients get covid, it can be far more serious or even deadly.

In general, it’s safe for cancer patients to get the vaccine. We recommend that it not be given on the same day as chemotherapy but separated by a few days, and we would want their white count to be in a normal range. We don’t recommend it be given to patients who have very low white counts.

That being said, for patients that are on radiation, it’s perfectly safe that they get the vaccine. There’s no increased risk of any type of reaction. So, in general, we would like to see our cancer patients getting the vaccine, not on the same day as treatment, and, for that small group that are very immuno­suppressed, they should wait a few months.

Q: If someone has cancer, are they at higher risk of getting covid-19?

A: Well, that’s a great question, and it’s actually controversial. Some studies indicate that there’s not a greater risk of getting covid, but we know for sure that it can be far more serious, particularly in patients who have blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma.

Those patients are quite immunosuppressed and if they get covid, it can be far more serious and often fatal, which is why we recommend those patients get the vaccine.

Q: What are other ways cancer patients can protect themselves during these crazy covid times?

A: Well, the obvious things, what we tell the general public and that is strict hand-washing, maintaining 6 feet of distance, especially from strangers, and wearing face masks. Obviously, avoiding indoor crowds and hanging with folks you don’t know well. We recommend they wear masks both in their home as well as outside and certainly when they come to the cancer center for treatment.

We recommend they take those precautions, the same that we would tell anyone else.

Q: In terms of your own interaction with cancer patients, what are they saying about how their bodies are handling the covid vaccination?

A: So far, we haven’t had a lot of vaccine available for our cancer patients. But some have had the vaccine. We’ve not seen any untoward reactions any different than you would see in the general public. Most of my patients are anxious to get it. They’re not afraid of getting it — they’re afraid of getting covid. And so we have them constantly checking in when the vaccine might be available for them.

For cancer survivors, again, the risk there, especially if they’re out years from their diagnosis, they really are not that immunosuppressed and don’t have a greater risk of having severe covid. And I encourage all of them to get the vaccine.

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