Therapy with anti-COVID-19 monoclonals in oncohematologic patients: the experience of the Internal Medicine unit, PO SS Trinità, Cagliari

ABSTRACT

Background: Patients with oncohematological diseases represent a particularly vulnerable population in the course of COVID-19 infection. Monoclonal antibody therapy (MAT) may represent, in addition to the vaccine, a strategic weapon in the management of these patients. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively studied 20 patients with oncohematological disease related to our Internal Medicine Ward for COVID-19 infection. Ten females and eleven males, mean age 65 years distributed as follows 7 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, 5 Multiple Myeloma, 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma, 2 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, 2 Acute Myeloid Leukemia, 1 Myelofibrosis. All patients had been vaccinated with at least two doses. Eleven patients underwent to MAT therapy in early treatment after COVID-19 infection (four patients casirivimab/indevimab and seven sotrovimab). Nine patients were hospitalized for interstitial pneumonia Results: Among the eleven patients undergoing MAT in early treatment, ten didn't develop disease progression;only a 33 y.o. patient with DLBCL was hospitalized and died of septic shock but in absence of pneumonia. Among nine patients hospitalized for interstitial pneumonia, 5 died and 4 were discharged home. Among the five who died, three patients didn't practice MAT because they arrived at observation ten days after the symptoms onset. Among the 4 discharged at home, only one didn't practice MAT for the same reason. Conclusions: Our data confirm the effectiveness of early treatment with monoclonals in reducing disease progression in oncohematological patients after COVID-19 infection.