The Status of Pediatric Patients With Hematologic Malignancy During COVID-19 Pandemic in Wuhan City, China.

Data regarding the epidemiologic characteristics and clinical features of pediatric hematologic patients are limited in this corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. We investigated the status of 113 pediatric hematologic patients in Wuhan union hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 23 to March 10, 2020. All the patients had routine blood and biochemical examination, as well as chest computed tomography scans, and the nucleic acid, immunoglobulin G-immunoglobulin M combined antibodies tests for SARS-CoV-2. After admission, all patients were single-room isolated for 5 to 7 days. The results showed that only 1 (0.88%) child with leukemia was confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infection and 15 (13.2%) children were considered as suspected cases. Comparing to the nonsuspected patients, the suspected cases had lower white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, neutrophil count, serum calcium ion level and serum albumin concentration, as well as higher levels of C-reactive protein. All the suspected cases were ruled out of SARS-CoV-2 infection by twice negative tests for the virus. Therefore, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hematologic malignancy children was low during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. COVID-19 got early detected and the virus spread out in the ward was effectively blocked by increasing test frequency and using single-room isolation for 5 to 7 days after admission.

Key findings from the UKCCMP cohort of 877 patients with haematological malignancy and COVID-19: disease control as an important factor relative to recent chemotherapy or anti-CD20 therapy.

Patients with haematological malignancies have a high risk of severe infection and death from SARS-CoV-2. In this prospective observational study, we investigated the impact of cancer type, disease activity, and treatment in 877 unvaccinated UK patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and active haematological cancer. The primary end-point was all-cause mortality. In a multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex and comorbidities, the highest mortality was in patients with acute leukaemia [odds ratio (OR) = 1·73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·1-2·72, P = 0·017] and myeloma (OR 1·3, 95% CI 0·96-1·76, P = 0·08). Having uncontrolled cancer (newly diagnosed awaiting treatment as well as relapsed or progressive disease) was associated with increased mortality risk (OR = 2·45, 95% CI 1·09-5·5, P = 0·03), as was receiving second or beyond line of treatment (OR = 1·7, 95% CI 1·08-2·67, P = 0·023). We found no association between recent cytotoxic chemotherapy or anti-CD19/anti-CD20 treatment and increased risk of death within the limitations of the cohort size. Therefore, disease control is an important factor predicting mortality in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection alongside the possible risks of therapies such as cytotoxic treatment or anti-CD19/anti-CD20 treatments.

Clinical profile and outcome of COVID-19 in haematological malignancies: experience from tertiary care centre in India.

There is limited evidence on various clinical aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with haematological cancers. The risk factors, prognosis, and outcome of patients with haematological cancers with coexistent COVID-19 need to be explored in different subsets of population. A single-institutional prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary level medical institute in North India. The clinical details of the recruited patients having haematological malignancies and diagnosed with COVID-19 between 15 March 2020 and 31 May 2021 were prospectively collected through the electronic patient database system. The outcomes with respect to 28-day and 56-day mortality and the associated risk factors for prognostication were analysed. Of the 5750 hospital admissions (inpatient and day-care) during the study period, two hundred and forty-two patients (4.2%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. Acute leukaemia was the most common haematological malignancy, seen in 117 (48.3%) patients. Eighty-nine (36.8%) patients had moderate-to-severe COVID-19 while 153 (63.2%) patients presented with mild infection. The 28-day and 56-day mortality rates in our cohort were 13.3% and 19.8% respectively. Amongst the risk factors associated with poor outcome, the severity of COVID-19 (HR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.16-10.35; p = 0.04), presence of secondary infection (HR = 2.1, 95% CI 2.45-21.3; p = 0.023), and need for invasive mechanical ventilation (HR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.8-18.43; p = 0.01) were prognostically significant on multivariate log rank analysis. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection does not increase with haematological malignancies; however, the outcome remains poor in patients with severe COVID-19, requirement of invasive mechanical ventilation, and pre-existing bacterial/fungal infection at presentation.

Clinical outcomes and risk factors for severe COVID-19 in patients with haematological disorders receiving chemo- or immunotherapy.

Haematology patients receiving chemo- or immunotherapy are considered to be at greater risk of COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality. We aimed to identify risk factors for COVID-19 severity and assess outcomes in patients where COVID-19 complicated the treatment of their haematological disorder. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 55 patients with haematological disorders and COVID-19, including 52 with malignancy, two with bone marrow failure and one immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). COVID-19 diagnosis coincided with a new diagnosis of a haematological malignancy in four patients. Among patients, 82% were on systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis. Of hospitalised patients, 37% (19/51) died while all four outpatients recovered. Risk factors for severe disease or mortality were similar to those in other published cohorts. Raised C-reactive protein at diagnosis predicted an aggressive clinical course. The majority of patients recovered from COVID-19, despite receiving recent SACT. This suggests that SACT, where urgent, should be administered despite intercurrent COVID-19 infection, which should be managed according to standard pathways. Delay or modification of therapy should be considered on an individual basis. Long-term follow-up studies in larger patient cohorts are required to assess the efficacy of treatment strategies employed during the pandemic.

Treating Leukemia in the Time of COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses several challenges to the management of patients with leukemia. The biology of each leukemia and its corresponding treatment with conventional intensive chemotherapy, with or without targeted therapies (venetoclax, FLT3 inhibitors, IDH1/2 inhibitors, Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors), introduce additional layers of complexity during COVID-19 high-risk periods. The knowledge about COVID-19 is accumulating rapidly. An important distinction is the prevalence of "exposure" versus "clinical infectivity," which determine the risk versus benefit of modifying potentially highly curative therapies in leukemia. At present, the rate of clinical infection is <1-2% worldwide. With a mortality rate of 1-5% in CO-VID-19 patients in the general population and potentially of >30% in patients with cancer, careful consideration should be given to the risk of COVID-19 in leukemia. Instead of reducing patient access to specialized cancer centers and modifying therapies to ones with unproven curative benefit, there is more rationale for less intensive, yet effective therapies that may require fewer clinic visits or hospitalizations. Here, we offer recommendations on the optimization of leukemia management during high-risk COVID-19 periods.