Mednet Logo
CommunityHematology

What is your approach to vaccinations and titers for patients with myeloma, who are immunosuppressed and do not have appropriate antibody responses to vaccines?

E.g., for a patient with myeloma, s/p induction therapy, and high-dose chemotherapy, followed by autologous rescue with inappropriate antibody response to TDAP?
Community PollStarted

For an immunosuppressed myeloma patient who does not have an appropriate antibody response to vaccines, which of the following strategies would you consider?

51 physicians have voted

Join Mednetto vote and see how they answered.

3 Answers
Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Infectious Disease · Harbor - UCLA Medical Center
Answered on

It depends on the vaccine and prior immunization history. Not all vaccines require an antibody response to be at least partially efficacious.

In addition, with any immunocompromised host, reduced effectiveness for all vaccines is expected, but is not a reason to not vaccinate. Serologic testing is h...

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer

Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Hematology · USC Keck School of Medicine
Answered on

I think it’s reasonable to try revaccination. However, if the patient is developing infections and the quantitative immunoglobulins are low enough to meet the criteria, the oncologist should be perfectly competent to prescribe IVIG instead of involving another specialist. It’s pretty standard practi...

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer

Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Infectious Disease · Johns Hopkins University
Answered on

This depends on the treatment course and the vaccine being administered. If the initial response to something like TdaP or the pneumococcal vaccine is poor, it is reasonable to repeat the vaccine 6 months to 1 year later, particularly if immunosuppression is reduced during that time period. If, at t...

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer