Outcome of COVID-19 in multiple myeloma patients in relation to treatment

Katharina Helene Susek; Charlotte Gran; Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren; Evren Alici; Hareth Nahi

doi:10.1111/ejh.13502

Outcome of COVID-19 in multiple myeloma patients in relation to treatment

Eur J Haematol. 2020 Dec;105(6):751-754. doi: 10.1111/ejh.13502. Epub 2020 Aug 18.

Authors

Katharina Helene Susek¹, Charlotte Gran^{1

2}, Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren³, Evren Alici^{1

4}, Hareth Nahi^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
² Department of Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska University Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden.
³ Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁴ Hematology Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

COVID-19 has emerged as a global pandemic. Cancer patients have been reported to be at higher risk for adverse outcome of COVID-19. Studies are ongoing to decipher the risk factors and risk groups among cancer patients as well as strategies to refine treatment approaches. Here, we report eight patients with multiple myeloma that underwent immunomodulatory therapies with daratumumab or lenalidomide-based combination treatments and one patient with smoldering multiple myeloma, all of which presented with symptomatic COVID-19. We report that patients that succumbed to COVID-19 presented with either progressive tumor disease under daratumumab treatment or were in remission under lenalidomide-dexamethasone treatment.

Keywords: immunology; infectious diseases; multiple myeloma; plasma cell neoplasms.

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Monoclonal / administration & dosage
Antibodies, Monoclonal / adverse effects*
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / administration & dosage
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / adverse effects*
Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity
COVID-19
Cohort Studies
Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis*
Coronavirus Infections / drug therapy
Coronavirus Infections / immunology
Coronavirus Infections / mortality
Dexamethasone / administration & dosage
Dexamethasone / adverse effects*
Disease Progression
Female
Humans
Immunomodulation
Lenalidomide / administration & dosage
Lenalidomide / adverse effects*
Male
Middle Aged
Multiple Myeloma / diagnosis*
Multiple Myeloma / drug therapy
Multiple Myeloma / immunology
Multiple Myeloma / mortality
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis*
Pneumonia, Viral / drug therapy
Pneumonia, Viral / immunology
Pneumonia, Viral / mortality
Prognosis
Remission Induction
SARS-CoV-2
Severity of Illness Index
Survival Analysis
Thalidomide / administration & dosage
Thalidomide / adverse effects*
Treatment Outcome

Substances

Antibodies, Monoclonal
daratumumab
Thalidomide
Dexamethasone
Lenalidomide

Abstract

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding