COVID-19 severity and mortality in patients with CLL: an update of the international ERIC and Campus CLL study

Chatzikonstantinou, Thomas; Kapetanakis, Anargyros; Scarfò, Lydia; Karakatsoulis, Georgios; Allsup, David; Cabrero, Alejandro Alonso; Andres, Martin; Antic, Darko; Baile, Mónica; Baliakas, Panagiotis; Bron, Dominique; Capasso, Antonella; Chatzileontiadou, Sofia; Cordoba, Raul; Correa, Juan Gonzalo; Cuéllar-García, Carolina; De Paoli, Lorenzo; De Paolis, Maria Rosaria; Del Poeta, Giovanni; Demosthenous, Christos; Dimou, Maria; Donaldson, David; Doubek, Michael; Efstathopoulou, Maria; Eichhorst, Barbara; El-Ashwah, Shaimaa; Enrico, Alicia; Espinet, Blanca; Farina, Lucia; Ferrari, Angela; Foglietta, Myriam; Frederiksen, Henrik; Fürstenau, Moritz; García-Marco, José A.; García-Serra, Rocío; Gentile, Massimo; Gimeno, Eva; Glenthøj, Andreas; Gomes da Silva, Maria; Gutwein, Odit; Hakobyan, Yervand K.; Herishanu, Yair; Hernández-Rivas, José Ángel; Herold, Tobias; Innocenti, Idanna; Itchaki, Gilad; Jaksic, Ozren; Janssens, Ann; Kalashnikova, Оlga B.; Kalicińska, Elżbieta; Karlsson, Linda Kathar...

Abstract

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to age, disease, and treatment-related immunosuppression. We aimed to assess risk factors of outcome and elucidate the impact of CLL-directed treatments on the course of COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective, international study, collectively including 941 patients with CLL and confirmed COVID-19. Data from the beginning of the pandemic until March 16, 2021, were collected from 91 centers. The risk factors of case fatality rate (CFR), disease severity, and overall survival (OS) were investigated. OS analysis was restricted to patients with severe COVID-19 (definition: hospitalization with need of oxygen or admission into an intensive care unit). CFR in patients with severe COVID-19 was 38.4%. OS was inferior for patients in all treatment categories compared to untreated (p < 0.001). Untreated patients had a lower risk of death (HR = 0.54, 95% CI:0.41–0.72). The risk of death was higher for older patients and those suffering from cardiac failure (HR = 1.03, 95% CI:1.02–1.04; HR = 1.79, 95% CI:1.04–3.07, respectively). Age, CLL-directed treatment, and cardiac failure were significant risk factors of OS. Untreated patients had a better chance of survival than those on treatment or recently treated.

Citation

Chatzikonstantinou, T., Kapetanakis, A., Scarfò, L., Karakatsoulis, G., Allsup, D., Cabrero, A. A., …Ghia, P. (in press). COVID-19 severity and mortality in patients with CLL: an update of the international ERIC and Campus CLL study. Leukemia : official journal of the Leukemia Society of America, Leukemia Research Fund, U.K, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-021-01450-8

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 5, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Nov 2, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 3, 2021
• Journal: Leukemia
• Print ISSN: 0887-6924
• Electronic ISSN: 1476-5551
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-021-01450-8
• Keywords: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; Epidemiology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3866885