Publish date: 1 October 2021
The NHS has launched a national COVID Cancer Antibody Survey to assess antibody responses to the COVID-19 vaccines among cancer patients and is calling on cancer patients to sign up now.
Vaccination is an important strategy to protect society from the effects of COVID-19, but there is emerging evidence that a small number of cancer patients may have lower levels of antibody response than the general population.
It is not yet fully understood what lower levels of antibodies mean in terms of outcomes, but it may mean some people with cancer are not as protected from COVID-19.
The COVID Cancer Antibody Survey is one of the first surveys of its kind that will help the NHS understand what protection people with cancer develop following COVID-19 infection and/or vaccination.
It will also help to understand whether and how antibody response differs between different cancer types and whether any particular treatments affect response to vaccination.
The survey is open to people aged 18 or over living in England who have either been diagnosed with cancer in the last year or are currently receiving cancer treatment.
Participants will be sent a finger-prick blood test that looks for antibodies against COVID-19 in the blood. It will be sent in the post and comes with everything needed to complete and return the test.
Patients can sign up here: https://covidcancersurvey.uk/
By signing up for this survey, patients can help to develop our understanding of what antibody levels mean for people with cancer and help the NHS to provide the best treatment, care and support for patients, as well as finding out about the patient’s own antibody levels.
Patients fill in a short form with their details before being automatically redirected through to the NHS Test & Trace antibody test booking page where they will be able to book a free test. There are 10,000 places on this survey and the NHS expects to be recruiting participants for the next two to three months.
Patients need to visit the website to sign up to the survey before ordering the antibody test.
Once patients have completed registration on covidcancersurvey.uk and have been directed onto the gov.uk antibody test booking service, one of the questions that website asks is to confirm their employment status. Patients should ignore the text underneath this question, which asks people not to continue if they are not working – people do qualify for an antibody test, regardless of your employment status. Patients should simply answer this question and click ‘continue’ – and they will still be able to book their test. The website is being updated imminently, when this message will be removed.
For more information, please use the ‘contact us’ section of the survey website: https://covidcancersurvey.uk/contact/