Journal Article

DKFZ-2026-00350

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png COVID-19 and Influenza Booster Vaccination Elicits Robust Antibody Responses in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors Comparable to Healthy Adults.

Schmidt, T. ; Trilling, M. ; Le-Trilling, V. T. K. ; Asar, L. ; Fiedler, M. ; Oster, C.DKFZ* ; Grieger, J. ; Cappello, G. ; Kizina, K. ; Grzib, L. ; Jekel, L. ; Scheffler, B.DKFZ* ; Sure, U. ; Ahmadipour, Y. ; Rauschenbach, L.DKFZ* ; Kleinschnitz, C. ; Dittmer, U. ; Glas, M. ; Kebir, S.DKFZ*

2026
MDPI Basel

Abstract: Background: Patients with primary brain tumors face profound disease- and treatment-related immunosuppression, placing them at high risk for severe infections. Their capacity to mount protective immune responses to vaccination, particularly to repeated antigen exposures such as COVID-19 boosters, remains critically under-defined, leading to uncertainty in clinical practice. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we analyzed humoral responses to seasonal COVID-19 (mRNA-based) and influenza vaccination in 17 patients with primary brain tumors (recruited from an initial cohort of 37) who received a booster shot, and 19 healthy controls. Serum samples were collected before (T1) and 30 ± 2 days after (T2) vaccination to quantify SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike (S) IgG and anti-Influenza IgG titers. Results: Despite ongoing chemotherapy in 47% of patients, baseline anti-S antibody titers were comparable between groups. Following the booster, median anti-S titers increased significantly and to a similar magnitude in both patients (from 5030 to 18,500 BAU/mL; IQR: 13,885-24,420) and controls (from 4429 to 20,200 BAU/mL; IQR: 11,075-26,680; p = 0.6137, Mann-Whitney U test). Only two heavily pre-treated patients showed no booster response. All participants showed sero-positivity to Anti-Influenza IgG at baseline. For the primary brain tumor cohort, a significant increase for anti-Influenza IgG at T2 was observed (p = 0.0002). Mean antibody titers did not differ between both cohorts. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that patients with primary brain tumors can mount robust recall immunity to mRNA vaccines, addressing clinical uncertainty about booster efficacy in this population. These data provide a strong rationale for prioritizing booster vaccinations in this vulnerable population and argue for the inclusion of these patients in future pivotal vaccine trials.

Keyword(s): COVID-19 booster ; glioma ; healthy control ; humoral antibody response ; immunogenicity ; influenza booster ; primary brain tumor patients

Note: #DKTKZFB26#

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. DKTK Koordinierungsstelle Essen/Düsseldorf (ED01)
2. DKTK ED Translationale Onkologie/ Neuroonkologie (ED05)

Research Program(s):

1. 899 - ohne Topic (POF4-899) (POF4-899)

Appears in the scientific report 2026

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Database coverage:
; ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 5 ; JCR ; PubMed Central ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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