ABSTRACT
The ability of patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) to develop an effective humoral immune response after COVID-19 is unknown. A prospective study was performed to monitor the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), chronic lymphoproliferative disorders (CLD), multiple myeloma (MM), or myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative syndromes (MDS/MPN). Antibody (Ab) levels to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) protein were measured at +1, +3, +6 months after nasal swabs became PCR-negative. Forty-five patients (9 FL, 8 DLBCL, 8 CLD, 10 MM, 10 MDS/MPS) and 18 controls were studied. Mean anti-N and anti-S-Ab levels were similar between HM patients and controls, and shared the same behavior, with anti-N Ab levels declining at +6 months and anti-S-Ab remaining stable. Seroconversion rates were lower in HM patients than in controls. In lymphoma patients mean Ab levels and seroconversion rates were lower than in other HM patients, primarily because all nine patients who had received rituximab within 6 months before COVID-19 failed to produce anti-N and anti-S-Ab. Only one patient requiring hematological treatment after COVID-19 lost seropositivity after 6 months. No reinfections were observed. These results may inform vaccination policies and clinical management of HM patients.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/immunology , Hematologic Neoplasms/immunology , Immunity, Humoral/drug effects , Rituximab/pharmacology , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antibodies, Viral/drug effects , Antibodies, Viral/metabolism , Antibody Formation/drug effects , Antibody Formation/physiology , Antibody Specificity/drug effects , COVID-19/complications , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/therapy , Case-Control Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Hematologic Neoplasms/complications , Hematologic Neoplasms/drug therapy , Hematologic Neoplasms/epidemiology , Hospitalization , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Rituximab/therapeutic useABSTRACT
The coexistence or the development of Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms after a lymphoproliferative disease in the same patient is an extremely rare event. We report the case of a 72-year-old man who developed JAK2V617F polycythemia vera 3 years after the diagnosis and treatment of primary diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the central nervous system. We also review the literature regarding the pathogenesis underlying the association of myeloproliferative and lymphoproliferative chronic disorders.
