Special case of a patient in the blast phase of chronic myeloid leukemia successfully treated with tocilizumab during critical SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The medical care of patients with hematological malignancies who develop coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major challenge during the current pandemic. We herein describe a patient in the blast phase of chronic myeloid leukemia who was hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The patient was successfully treated with tocilizumab, and intubation was avoided. The severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection is mostly related to a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome that develops secondary to cytokine release syndrome, and interleukin 6 is the main cytokine involved in cytokine release syndrome. Very few reports have described the use of tocilizumab in patients with hematologic malignancies who develop SARS-CoV-2 infection, although a few cases of patients with multiple myeloma have been reported. To our knowledge, however, this is the first report of a SARS-CoV-2-infected patient in the blast phase of chronic myeloid leukemia who had a favorable response to treatment with tocilizumab. The management of patients with hematological malignancies who become infected with SARS-CoV-2 is a major challenge for practitioners, necessitating more specific research in this direction.

Severe COVID-19 infection in a patient with a blastic transformation of a chronic myeloid leukemia and severe treatment-induced immunosuppression: a case report.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread across the globe, leading to the declaration of a pandemic. While most present mild symptoms, it appears as though nearly 20% of confirmed patients develop significant complications. At this time of uncertainty, we are struggling to provide appropriate care to hematological cancer patients. We need to weigh the risks and benefits of giving cancer treatment against the odds of infecting them with COVID-19. As hematological cancer patients are immunocompromised and there are high chances of exposure during hospital visits, they can get infected and outcome can be fatal. So in this case report, we intend to discuss the possible impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on patients with acute leukaemia in terms of diagnosis, chemotherapy, and prophylactic measures.