COVID‐19 elicits an impaired antibody response against SARS‐CoV‐2 in patients with haematological malignancies. (16th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Passamonti, Francesco; Romano, Alessandra; Salvini, Marco; Merli, Francesco; Porta, Matteo G. Della; Bruna, Riccardo; Coviello, Elisa; Romano, Ilaria; Cairoli, Roberto; Lemoli, Roberto; Farina, Francesca; Venditti, Adriano; Busca, Alessandro; Ladetto, Marco; Massaia, Massimo; Pinto, Antonio; Arcaini, Luca; Tafuri, Agostino; Marchesi, Francesco; Fracchiolla, Nicola; Bocchia, Monica; Armiento, Daniele; Candoni, Anna; Krampera, Mauro; Luppi, Mario; Cardinali, Valeria; Galimberti, Sara; Cattaneo, Chiara; La Barbera, Elettra Ortu; Mina, Roberto; Lanza, Francesco; Visani, Giuseppe; Musto, Pellegrino; Petrucci, Luigi; Zaja, Francesco; Grossi, Paolo A.; Bertù, Lorenza; Pagano, Livio; Corradini, Paolo;
• Other Names: Derenzini Enrico investigator.; Marchetti Monia investigator.; Scattolin Anna M. investigator.; Corso Alessandro investigator.; Tosi Patrizia investigator.; Gherlinzoni Filippo investigator.; Passerini Carlo Gambacorti investigator.; Cavo Michele investigator.; Fava Carmen investigator.; Turrini Mauro investigator.; Visco Carlo investigator.; Zappasodi Patrizia investigator.; Merli Michele investigator.; Mora Barbara investigator.; Vannucchi Alessandro M. investigator.
• Is Part Of: British journal of haematology. Volume 195:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 371
• Page End: 377
• Publication Date: 2021-07-16
• Subjects: Covid‐19 -- SARS‐CoV‐2 -- leukemia -- lymphoma -- myeloma; Hematology -- Periodicals; Blood -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 616.15
• DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17704
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1048

Abstract

Summary: COVID‐19 is associated with high mortality in patients with haematological malignancies (HM) and rate of seroconversion is unknown. The ITA‐HEMA‐COV project (NCT04352556) investigated patterns of seroconversion for SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG in patients with HMs. A total of 237 patients, SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR‐positive with at least one SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG test performed during their care, entered the analysis. Among these, 62 (26·2%) had myeloid, 121 (51·1%) lymphoid and 54 (22·8%) plasma cell neoplasms. Overall, 69% of patients (164 of 237) had detectable IgG SARS‐CoV‐2 serum antibodies. Serologically negative patients (31%, 73 of 237) were evenly distributed across patients with myeloid, lymphoid and plasma cell neoplasms. In the multivariable logistic regression, chemoimmunotherapy [odds ratio (OR), 3·42; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1·04–11·21; P = 0·04] was associated with a lower rate of seroconversion. This effect did not decline after 180 days from treatment withdrawal (OR, 0·35; 95% CI: 0·11–1·13; P = 0·08). This study demonstrates a low rate of seroconversion in HM patients and indicates that treatment‐mediated immune dysfunction is the main driver. As a consequence, we expect a low rate of seroconversion after vaccination and thus we suggest testing the efficacy of seroconversion in HM patients.