Limited data have been published on the epidemiology and outcomes of breakthrough COVID-19 in patients with hematological malignancy (HM) after anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Adult HM who received at least one dose of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and diagnosed with breakthrough COVID-19 between January 2021 and March 2022 and registered in EPICOVIDEHA were included in this analysis. A total of 1548 cases were included, mainly with lymphoid malignancies (1181 cases, 76%). After viral genome sequencing in 753 cases (49%), Omicron variant was prevalent (517, 68.7%). Most of the patients received at least two vaccine doses before COVID-19 (1419, 91%), mostly mRNA-based (1377, 89%). Overall, 906 patients (59%) received specific treatment for COVID-19. After 30-days follow-up from COVID-19 diagnosis, 143 patients (9%) died. The mortality rate in patients with Omicron variant was of 7.9%, comparable to that reported for the other variants. The 30-day mortality rate was significantly lower than in the pre-vaccine era (31%). In the univariable analysis, older age (p<0.001), active HM (p<0.001), severe and critical COVID-19 (p=0.007 and p<0.001, respectively) were associated with mortality. Conversely, patients receiving monoclonal antibodies, even for severe or critical COVID-19, had a lower mortality rate (p<0.001). In the multivariable model, older age, active disease, critical COVID-19 and at least 2-3 comorbidities were correlated with a higher mortality, whereas the administration of monoclonal antibodies, alone (p<0.001) or combined with antivirals (p=0.009), was observed protective. While mortality is significantly lower than in the pre-vaccination era, breakthrough COVID-19 in HM is still associated with considerable mortality. Death rate was lower in patients who received monoclonal antibodies, alone or in combination with antivirals. EPICOVIDEHA (www.clinicaltrials.gov; National Clinical Trials identifier NCT04733729) is an international open web-based registry for patients with HMs infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes life-threatening COVID-19 in hematologic malignancy (HM) patients, associated with high morbidity and mortality in this particularly vulnerable population. 1 After more than 2 years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several prophylactic and therapeutic strategies have been developed against SARS-CoV-2, including targeted antivirals, monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, leading

Late relapse of HL presents with clinical characteristics very similar to primary disease and appears to have a good prognosis. First diagnosis in childhood or young adulthood and first line treatment before the ABVD era increases the risk of relapsing late.

Patients with hematological malignancies (HMs) are at a higher risk of developing severe form and protracted course of COVID-19 disease. We investigated whether the combination of viral replication inhibition with remdesivir and administration of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins with convalescent plasma (CP) therapy might be sufficient to treat B-cell-depleted patients with COVID-19. We enrolled 20 consecutive patients with various HMs with profound B-cell lymphopenia and COVID-19 pneumonia between December 2020 and May 2021. All patients demonstrated undetectable baseline anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin levels before CP. Each patient received at least a complete course of remdesivir and at least one unit of CP. Previous anti-CD20 therapy resulted in a more prolonged SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity compared to other causes of B-cell lymphopenia (p = 0.004). Timing of CP therapy showed a significant impact on the clinical outcome. Simultaneous use of remdesivir and CP reduced time period for oxygen weaning after diagnosis (p = 0.017), length of hospital stay (p = 0.007), and PCR positivity (p = 0.012) compared to patients who received remdesivir and CP consecutively. In addition, time from the diagnosis to CP therapy affected the length of oxygen dependency (p < 0.001) and hospital stay (p < 0.0001). In those cases where there were at least 10 days from the diagnosis to plasma administration, oxygen dependency was prolonged vs. patients with shorter interval (p = 0.006). In conclusion, the combination of inhibition of viral replication with passive immunization was proved to be efficient and safe. Our results suggest the clear benefit of early, combined administration of remdesivir and CP to avoid protracted COVID-19 disease among patients with HMs and B-cell lymphopenia.

Up to 30% of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are not responsive to frontline therapy or relapse after primary treatment. In these cases, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is the standard of care. The combination of brentuximab vedotin and bendamustine (BV + B) is an effective salvage regimen in this challenging subpopulation. This nationwide multicenter study investigated the real-world efficacy and safety of the BV + B regimen as a bridge to AHSCT in patients with primary refractory or relapsed cHL. A total of 41 cHL patients underwent AHSCT after receiving at least 1 cycle of BV + B (with brentuximab vedotin given at 1.8 mg/kg on day 1 and bendamustine at 90 mg/m2 on days 1–2 every 4 weeks). After a median of 3 (1–6) cycles of BV + B, the objective response rate was 78%, with 29 (70.7%) patients achieving complete remission. Twelve (29.3%) patients relapsed after AHSCT, 2 (4.9%) of them died, while 2 (4.9%) patients are lost to follow-up. After a median of 17 months of follow-up, the estimated 2-year overall- and progression-free survival after AHSCT was 93 and 62%, respectively. Features of advanced disease at recurrence (p = 0.038) and the presence of stage IV cHL at relapse (p = 0.024) are strong predictor markers of unfavorable outcomes. Twenty-four (58.5%) patients experienced adverse events of any grade, while no grade IV toxicities were reported. BV + B is an effective salvage option with a manageable toxicity profile in cHL. The real-world safety and efficacy of this combination are similar to the observations made on the study population.

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Background: The outcome of patients with simultaneous diagnosis of haematological malignancies (HM) and COVID-19 is unknown and there are no specific treatment guidelines. Methods: We describe the clinical features and outcome of a cohort of 450 patients with simultaneous diagnosis of HM and COVID-19 registered in the EPICOVIDEHA registry between March 2020 to February 2022. Results: Acute leukaemia and lymphoma were the most frequent HM (35.8% and 35.1%, respectively). Overall, 343 (76.2%) patients received treatment for HM, which was delayed for longer than one month since diagnosis in 57 (16.6%). An overall response rate was observed in 140 (40.8%) patients after the first line of treatment. After a median follow-up of 35 days, overall mortality was 177/450 (39.3%); 30-day mortality was significantly higher in patients not receiving HM treatment (42.1%) than in those receiving treatment (27.4%, p = 0.004), either before and/or after COVID-19, or compared to patients receiving HM treatment at least after COVID-19 (15.2%, p < 0.001). Age, severe/critical COVID-19, ≥2 comorbidities, and lack of HM treatment were independent risk factors for mortality, whereas a lymphocyte count >500/mcl at COVID-19 onset was protective. Conclusions: HM treatment should be delivered as soon as possible for patients with simultaneous diagnosis of COVID-19 and HM requiring immediate therapy.