SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with melanoma: results of the Spanish Melanoma Group registry

Abstract

Background The Spanish Melanoma Group (GEM) developed a national registry of patients with melanoma infected by SARS-CoV-2 (“GRAVID”). Methods The main objective was to describe the COVID-19 fatality rate in patients with melanoma throughout the pandemic, as well as to explore the effect of melanoma treatment and tumor stage on the risk of COVID-19 complications. These are the final data of the register, including cases from February 2020 to September 2021. Results One hundred-fifty cases were registered. Median age was 68 years (range 6–95), 61 (40%) patients were females, and 63 (42%) patients had stage IV. Thirty-nine (26%) were on treatment with immunotherapy, and 17 (11%) with BRAF-MEK inhibitors. COVID-19 was resolved in 119 cases, including 85 (57%) patients cured, 15 (10%) that died due to melanoma, and 20 (13%) that died due to COVID-19. Only age over 60 years, cardiovascular disorders, and diabetes mellitus increased the risk of death due to COVID-19, but not advanced melanoma stage nor melanoma systemic therapies. Three waves have been covered by the register: February–May 2020, August–November 2020, and December 2020–April 2021. The first wave had the highest number of registered cases and COVID-19 mortality. Conclusion Tumor stage or melanoma treatments are non-significant prognostic factors for COVID-19 mortality. During the pandemic in Spain there was a downward trend in the number of patients registered across the waves, as well as in the severity of the infection. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT04344002. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12094-022-02985-7.

Association of immune checkpoint inhibitors with SARS-CoV-2 infection rate and prognosis in patients with solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Retrospective cohort studies comprised the majority of the included studies, with five (citations 44, 45, 47, 49, 53) being prospectively designed. Among the 15 studies included, four ( 39 , 41 , 42 , 46 ) were performed in the United States, five ( 40 , 44 , 47 , 50 , 52 ) in Italy, four ( 45 , 48 , 49 , 53 ) in Spain, one ( 51 ) in China, and one ( 43 ) in France. All patients in the 15 studies had solid tumors: three of the studies ( 41 , 48 , 51 ) involved patients with lung cancer, one study ( 46 ) included patients with gynecological tumors, and another study ( 45 ) included patients with melanoma; the remaining 10 studies were not specific as to cancer type.…”

“…Retrospective cohort studies comprised the majority of the included studies, with five (citations 44, 45, 47, 49, 53) being prospectively designed. Among the 15 studies included, four (39,41,42,46) were performed in the United States, five (40, 44, 47, 50, 52) in Italy, four (45,48,49,53) in Spain, one (51) in China, and one (43)…”

COVID-19 in Patients with Melanoma: A Single-Institution Study

“…Nevertheless, our results are in line with those of previous studies in melanoma patients. The GRAVID study by the Spanish Melanoma Group reported that stage and melanoma treatment did not affect prognosis in a cohort of 150 unvaccinated melanoma patients [ 25 ]. Similarly, Johnson et al reported that melanoma therapy, irrespective of modality, was not associated with severity of COVID-19 [ 26 ].…”

“…Both molecularly targeted treatments (for BRAF mutated cases) and immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are first-line treatment options for advanced disease [ 22 ]. Evidence on the impact of melanoma and its treatment on COVID-19 severity and survival are scarce and derive mostly from early studies that include small numbers of patients [ 19 , 23 ] and melanoma registry-based studies [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. The present study is an analysis of 121 melanoma patients treated at a large academic tertiary referral center in Greece who were diagnosed with COVID-19.…”