Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro and Associação Careca Power call for adequate vaccination of cancer patients

The prevention of infectious diseases in people with oncological disease through vaccination plays a key role in quality of life, in the reduction of complications and in survival itself.

A person with cancer is more susceptible to various infections that can delay treatments or surgeries, with a possible impact on the prognosis of the oncological disease, and with a risk of serious or even fatal sequelae. The risk of dying from COVID-19 in this specific population alone may be up to four times higher than that of the general population.

For all these reasons, Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro and Associação Careca Power call for adequate vaccination for each clinical situation, as a way to reduce the severity of infections that may arise due to immunosuppression caused by treatments or by the disease itself.

“People should always question and ask for information from the clinical team that accompanies them, the doctor and/or nurse, in order to decide which vaccines to have and when, adapting the vaccination plan to each particular situation and minimizing possible associated risks. It's winter and as this is the time of year when the flu virus circulates more intensively, we must protect ourselves. The same happens in relation to COVID-19”, warns Cristina Coelho, founding partner of Careca Power, an association whose mission is to support all those who have been diagnosed with cancer, as well as their families and friends, promoting smile, hope and strength at this stage of life.

On the eve of another World Cancer Day, Cristina Coelho, who is also undergoing treatment for lung cancer, gives her testimony and makes a public appeal for vaccination, which, while not being a cure in itself, can do all the difference in disease progression. “It is important to leave a message of hope and strength and emphasize that vaccination is a form of prevention”, she explains.

The infection, especially when it is severe, requiring hospitalization or other associated complications, can delay chemotherapy cycles or even surgeries. “A delay of one month in the treatment of many types of cancer can translate into an increase in the risk of death between 6% and 13%”, reinforces, on the other hand, Andreia Capela, president of the Supportive Care Research Association in Oncology (AICSO) and oncologist at Centro Hospitalar Vila Nova de Gaia – Espinho.

“Vaccination is a universal right. Ensuring equity in access to this right must be a priority. More informed and enlightened health professionals and users will be better protected from infections that lead to serious complications”, adds Andreia Capela.

The awareness campaign for vaccination in cancer patients, which is associated with the Portuguese League Against Cancer and the Careca Power Association, will last until World Vaccination Week, which is celebrated every year in April. Driven by AICSO and the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), in partnership with various associations and professional societies in the field of Health*, it aims to raise awareness of health professionals and the population to the importance, indications and contraindications of different vaccines in people with cancer.

The objective is to get people diagnosed with cancer to question their health teams about vaccination and, at the same time, encourage these teams to be more attentive to this issue and to provide reliable information about vaccination to patients and their caregivers.

 



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