A group of Canadian researchers is carrying on where earlier COVID-19 vaccine trials left off.  They are specifically recruiting patients with blood cancers to learn more about how the various vaccines have triggered antibody responses (or not).  We have received a specific statement that people with WM are indeed eligible to participate in the study, as long as you are not currently on an anti-CD20 treatment (i.e., Rituximab / Rituxin).

From their web site:

People with blood cancers have weakened immune systems due to their disease and the treatments they receive.  They also have a higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 infection compared to people without blood cancers.  Therefore, it is important to protect them from COVID-19 infection.

However, people with blood cancers were not included in the large COVID-19 vaccine trials.  Thus, it is important for us to gather data on our patients to know if they mount a protective antibody response to the vaccine, and whether this response lasts over time.

This study will be important to informing decision making around COVID-19 vaccines and public health policies in the hematologic malignancy population.

If you are a patient at any of the following participating hospitals, you can register through the web site below:

  • The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa
  • Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto
  • St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
  • Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton
  • Kingston General Hospital, Kingston
  • McGill University Health Centre, Montréal
  • Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary
  • University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton
  • BC Cancer
  • Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver

If you are at any other location in Canada, check with the Lead Co-ordinator, at awilkin@ohri.ca.

The advertising poster for the study is available here: https://www.wmfc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/VIP-study-Recruitment-handout-v2-12-08-2021-Clean.pdf.

Learn more, and register, at https://omc.ohri.ca/VIP/Default.aspx.

Pour en savoir plus, voir https://omc.ohri.ca/VIP/DefaultFR.aspx.