Can Lenalidomide Protect against Severe COVID-19 Symptoms in Multiple Myeloma Patients? A Case Series and Review of the Literature.

ABSTRACT

We present a case series of three multiple myeloma (MM) patients on lenalidomide for maintenance therapy who were at high risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) complications and mortality. However, our patients had minor symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19 although they were unvaccinated. We think that lenalidomide might have a protective effect against severe COVID-19 symptoms. LEARNING POINTS Multiple myeloma (MM) patients with active disease need treatment to avoid morbidity and mortality; the risk of relapse is also higher without treatment.Our three unvaccinated patients had mild COVID-19 infection while being treated with lenalidomide despite having high-risk comorbidities generally associated with severe COVID-19.Some small studies have reported that lenalidomide is protective against severe COVID-19, but larger clinical trials are required to determine whether or not to continue lenalidomide in MM patients with COVID-19.