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Cancer Patients / Herpes Zoster Vaccine / Vaccines, Synthetic · Journal article
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics · July 30, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This retrospective single-center study reports that recombinant zoster vaccine was feasible to administer and well tolerated in 42 patients with solid tumors receiving active systemic cancer treatment, with injection-site pain as the most common adverse event and no severe vaccine-related events or treatment delays observed. No herpes zoster cases occurred during median 11.5-month follow-up, although the authors acknowledge this finding is descriptive given the small sample size and lack of a control group.
Retrospective, single-center observational study. Adult patients with solid tumors receiving or scheduled to start systemic anticancer therapies at the Oncology Department of G. Martino University Hospital, Messina, Italy. Intervention: Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV), standard two-dose schedule. n = 42. Single center: Oncology Department of G. Martino University Hospital, Messina, Italy.
42 patients received at least one RZV dose; 37 (88.1%) completed two-dose schedule Injection-site pain was the most frequently reported local adverse event Systemic reactions including fever and headache were mild and transient
No control group or comparison population; cannot assess relative safety or efficacy Injection-site pain was the most frequently reported local adverse event
This preliminary evidence suggests that RZV vaccination may be operationally feasible and safe to integrate into routine oncology care during active treatment. However, the absence of a control group, single-center design, and small sample size preclude strong conclusions about efficacy or generalizability to other cancer treatment settings.
Single-center retrospective observational study of modest size with no control group, reporting feasibility and safety outcomes but lacking power to assess efficacy and generalizability.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
This preliminary evidence suggests that RZV vaccination may be operationally feasible and safe to integrate into routine oncology care during active treatment. However, the absence of a control group, single-center design, and small sample size preclude strong conclusions about efficacy or generalizability to other cancer treatment settings.
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Patients with solid tumors receiving systemic anticancer therapy face an increased risk of herpes zoster (HZ), a complication that can delay or disrupt ongoing oncologic treatments. Although the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) is recommended for immunocompromised adults, real-world data on its implementation and tolerability during active cancer treatment settings remain limited. We conducted a retrospective, single-center observational study at the Oncology Department of the "G. Martino" University Hospital, Messina, Italy. Between July 2022 and January 2025, the standard two-dose RZV schedule was systematically offered to adult patients with solid tumors who were receiving or scheduled to start systemic therapies. Endpoints included the operational feasibility of vaccination during oncologic care, safety, and HZ occurrence during follow-up. Overall, 42 patients received at least one RZV dose, and 37 (88.1%) completed the two-dose schedule. Patients were receiving different systemic anticancer treatments, mainly chemotherapy (59.5%), followed by chemo-immunotherapy and immunotherapy. RZV showed a favorable safety profile. Injection-site pain was the most frequently reported local adverse event, while systemic reactions, including fever and headache, were mild and transient. No severe vaccine-related adverse events or delays in oncologic treatment were observed. After a median follow-up of 11.5 months, no clinically documented HZ episodes occurred, although this finding should be interpreted descriptively given the limited sample size. Our experience suggests that integrating RZV into routine outpatient oncology workflows is feasible and well tolerated in patients undergoing active systemic treatments.
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