COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Hesitancy among Breast Cancer Patients after Two Years of Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine has played an important role in preventing infection and adverse outcomes in immunocompromised cancer patients, especially in breast cancer, one of the common tumor types. However, there are limited reports of vaccination in breast cancer patients and these are limited by the timeliness of research investigations. This is a cross-sectional study of 1132 Chinese breast cancer patients aged 18 years and older, each of whom completed an online self-reported questionnaire. This study was conducted to describe the vaccination status, adverse effects and vaccine hesitancy towards future vaccinations or boosters among Chinese breast cancer patients after two years of the pandemic, to provide new perspectives for health promotion. ABSTRACT: Background: Patients with cancer show greater susceptibility and vulnerability to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. However, data on the vaccination status among patients with breast cancer and any structured analysis of the factors influencing patients’ decisions regarding vaccines are lacking. Methods: This cross-sectional study on patients with breast cancer in China was conducted from 1 June 2022, to 17 June 2022. Every participant completed an online questionnaire about their vaccination status and any adverse reactions, and a scale based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) to assess the vaccination status of respondents and their willingness to receive following doses or boosters. Results: Among the 1132 participants, 55.2% had received a COVID-19 vaccine. The incidence of adverse events per dose was around 40%. Vaccine hesitancy of 61.9% was observed among patients who had not fully received three doses of vaccine or boosters. The only variable found to be associated with vaccine hesitancy was time since diagnosis (p < 0.05). In the HBM scale, vaccine hesitancy was closely related to a low level of perceived susceptibility, a low level of perceived benefit, a high level of perceived barriers and a low level of agreement with doctors’ advice. Conclusions: For patients with breast cancer, perceived susceptibility, benefits and barriers should be prioritized, and the advice from authoritative doctors is a vital cue to action.