Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) do not necessarily need to pause therapy while receiving COVID vaccination, according to the findings of a British-led study.
The study found that patients can continue taking Bruton Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors (BTKi) when they undergo vaccination. The research was undertaken because of concern that patients have reduced antibody responses to vaccination when taking BTKi drugs.
The project was led by researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford. They say the trial was prompted by previous observational studies which had suggested that pausing treatment might improve vaccine response.
The IMPROVE trial, reported in The Lancet Haematology, involved 11 hospitals and 99 adult patients with well controlled disease following treatment for at least a year. Participants were randomly assigned to pause treatment for three weeks, or not, at the time of vaccination.
The researchers report that pausing therapy made no difference to antibody levels and that quality of antibody response was similar in both groups.
One of the patients in the group whose treatment was paused died from COVID infection two months later, the researchers report.
Study leader Dr Helen Parry, from the University of Birmingham, said: “Our study provides clarity for blood cancer patients and their healthcare providers, that pausing BTKi therapy around the time of COVID-19 vaccination does not improve their antibody response and should not be recommended in clinical practice.”
Source:
Cook JA, Patten PEM, Peckham N, Moss P, Phillips N, Abhishek A, Roberts T, Hodges M, Talbot G, Barber V, Francis A, Shields AM, Duley L, Hoogeboom R, Willett BJ, Scott S, Parry-Jones N, Eyre TA, Plested G, Vandici G, Wandroo FA, Hutchinson C, Paneesha S, Murray DJ, Martinez-Calle N, Jenkins S, Heartin E, Parry HM. (2025) “A 3-week pause versus continued Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor use during COVID-19 vaccination in individuals with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (IMPROVE trial): a randomised, open-label, superiority trial.” Lancet Haematology, April 2025, doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(25)00008-0.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352302625000080
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