Take part in national COVID Cancer Antibody Survey

18 Oct 2021

The NHS is encouraging eligible people to sign up for the newly launched national COVID Cancer Antibody Survey. The aim is to assess antibody responses to the COVID-19 vaccines among cancer patients and gain a better understanding of whether response differs between different cancer types or whether particular treatments affect response to vaccination.

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’s 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 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 need to 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 their free test.

They will then 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.

There are 10,000 places on this survey and the NHS expects to be recruiting participants for the next two to three months.

To sign up to the survey please visit covidcancersurvey.uk/