Publication date: Jul 23, 2024

COVID-19 has been associated with high mortality in patients treated with Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies. Here, we investigated whether the outcome has improved over time with the primary objective of assessing COVID-19-attributable mortality in the Omicron period of 2022 compared to previous years. Data for this multicenter study were collected using the MED-A and COVID-19 report forms developed by the EBMT. One-hundred-eighty patients were included in the analysis, 39 diagnosed in 2020, 35 in 2021 and 106 in 2022. The median age was 58. 9 years (min-max: 5. 2-78. 4). There was a successive decrease in COVID-19-related mortality over time (2020: 43. 6%, 2021: 22. 9%, 2022: 7. 5%) and in multivariate analysis year of infection was the strongest predictor of survival (p = 0. 0001). Comparing 2022 with 2020-2021, significantly fewer patients had lower respiratory symptoms (21. 7% vs 37. 8%, p = 0. 01), needed oxygen support (25. 5% vs 43. 2%, p = 0. 01), or were admitted to ICU (5. 7% vs 33. 8%, p = 0. 0001). Although COVID-19-related mortality has decreased over time, CAR T-cell recipients remain at higher risk for complications than the general population. Consequently, vigilant monitoring for COVID-19 in patients undergoing B-cell-targeting CAR T-cell treatment is continuously recommended ensuring optimal prevention of infection and advanced state-of-the art treatment when needed.

Semantics

Original Article