ABSTRACT
Background: During the coronavirus pandemic, the risk of severe COVID-19 and mortality are higher in certain groups, in particular in patients with oncohematological diseases. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a special group of oncohematological diseases in which mortality in the era of COVID-19 has increased 2-3 times. Currently, there is no consensus on the treatment of ALL during coronavirus infection. Aims: To determine the basic principles and features of the management of patients with ALL during COVID-19. Methods: 46 patients with ALL and COVID-19 (men 52.2%, women 47.8%) aged 18-74 years (median-44.5) were treated at the Moscow City Clinical Hospital 52 on 01.04.20-01.11.21. B-ALL was 58.7% (27 patients), T-ALL - 34.8% (16 patients), biphenotypic - 4.3% (2 patients), not defined - 2.2% (1 patient), Ph-positive ALL - 17.4% (8 patients). The status of the disease of patients upon admission to the Hospital differed: debut of ALL - 20 patients (43.5%), remission - 16 patients (34.8%), relapse and refractory course - 10 patients (21.7%). All patients were treated COVID-19 in accordance with the current guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID- 19 (interleukin 6 inhibitor, anticoagulant and antibacterial therapy, glucocorticoids (GCs), human immunoglobulin (IG) against COVID-19). According to vital indications and with stabilization of the patient's condition, 18 patients (39.1%) received chemotherapy (CT). Results: There were no deaths in the group of patients with remission of ALL. In patients with the debut of ALL, mortality was 45% (9 patients), in relapse and refractory course - 50% (5 patients) (p=0.005). Mortality in the group who did not receive CT was 35.7%, and in the group who received CT - 22.2%. 6 patients with Ph-positive ALL (75.0%) continued therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). According to the protocol for the treatment of ALL, full doses of GCs (100%) and anthracyclines (ATC) (100%) were used, lumbar punctures (LP) and intrathecal (IT) injections of CT (100%) were continued. Due to the high risk of thrombotic complications in COVID-19 and asparaginase therapy, anticoagulant therapy was performed (100%). Prevention of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) (89.1%), antifungal (37.0%) and antibacterial (87.0%) therapy were carried out in the treatment of COVID-19. With the persistence of COVID-19 and the absence of antibodies to COVID-19, 2 patients received repeated transfusion of human IG against COVID-19. Summary/Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients in remission of ALL coronavirus infection are treated and controlled. Treatment of COVID-19 in patients with ALL is carried out according to general protocols for the treatment of COVID-19, taking into account the peculiarities of nosology (agranulocytosis, high risk of PCP and fungal infection with long-term therapy of GCs, persistence of COVID-19). When the patient's condition is stabilized, the issue of CT should be decided individually in each case, taking into account all the risks of ALL and COVID-19. During CT, use full doses of GCs, ATC. In patients with mild and moderate COVID-19, continue LP and IT injections of CT, therapy with TKI.
ABSTRACT
Background: In March 2020, specialists in the field of oncohematology faced the problem of severity of coronavirus infection in patients after high-dose course of chemotherapy and autologous or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. This required a revision of a number of issues related to the selection of patients for bone marrow transplantation (BMT), the development of new preventive and therapeutic tactics aimed at the treatment of infectious and immunological complications in this category of patients, depending on the nature of the underlying disease, the status of the disease and the timing of the treatment. Aims: To assess the severity, the most typical complications and the COVID 19 severity aspects in patients in early and late post-transplant periods to develop the most optimal tactics for the prevention and treatment of COVID 19 in this group of patients. Methods: An analysis was made of patients after HSCT with active coronavirus infection from 2020 to 2021, hospitalized in the hematology department of the Moscow multidisciplinary hospital (the hospital was completely redesigned to work on the COVID19 profile). A total number of hospitalized patients after HSCT was 25: 4 patients after allogeneic transplantation, 21 -after autologous. According to the timing of HSCT, patients were divided into 2 groups -early post-transplant period (ETP) (2-90 days after HSCT) -14 patients, and late post-transplant period (LTP) (3-24 months) -11 patients. According to nosology, patients were divided into following groups: lymphomas -72%, MM -12%, AA and CML 8% each. All patients were admitted with a positive PCR test (0-7 days of COVID). COVID therapy was carried out according to the protocols adopted in the Russian Federation using antiviral drugs, biological therapy, corticosteroids, anticoagulants. If necessary, the required supportive therapy was carried out for this period of HSCT. Results: Severe COVID19 (CT 3-4 severity) was more often observed in patients in ETP (100%) than in LTP (45%) (p=0.021). The incidence of respiratory failure is 70% and 36% in ETP and LTP, respectively. According to the analysis in ETP, agranulocytosis was observed in 65% of cases, for LTP group -in 18% (p = 0.022). Development of severe infectious complications (bacterial, fungal and viral) was detected in 100% of patients in ETP, in 45% of patients in LTP (p = 0.002). Antifungal therapy was required in 100% of cases in ETP, and only in 27% of the LTP group (p=0.001). 90% of patients in both groups required biological therapy. Mortality in the group of patients in ETP was 35%, while no deaths were registered in the group of patients in LTP (p=0.027). Median of hospitalization period for ETP and LTP patients was 20 and 13 days, respectively. Summary/Conclusion: Patients in the early period after HSCT have a higher risk of developing lower respiratory tract infection, more likely to require antifungals, reserve group antibiotics, and have a greater risk of death from COVID-19. Biological therapy is not contraindicated in case of leukopenia and agranulocytosis in this group of patients.