Cancer, the Flu, & You

Living with cancer increases your risk for complications from the flu. If you have cancer now or have had cancer in the past, you are at higher risk for complications from the seasonal flu (or influenza), including hospitalization and death.

Get Your Flu Shot!  People with cancer or a history of cancer, and people who live with or care for cancer survivors, should get a seasonal flu shot. This is especially true for older cancer survivors. Immune defenses become weaker with age, which places older people at greater risk of severe illness from flu. Also, aging decreases the body’s ability to have a good immune response after getting a flu shot. Two vaccines are designed specifically for people 65 and older: 

• The high-dose flu vaccine has four times the amount of antigen as the regular flu shot.

• The adjuvanted flu vaccine is designed to help create a stronger immune response to vaccination.

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