Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy expert consensus opinion for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in onco-hematological patients

Abstract

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, different vaccines in front of SARS-CoV-2 have been approved and administered in different vulnerable populations. As patients with cancer were excluded from pivotal trials of vaccination, little is known on their immunogenic response to these vaccines, particularly in patients with severely impaired immune system. In response to that uncertainty, the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy launched an initiative aimed to provide recommendations for vaccination of the main hematological conditions. This document is based on the available information on COVID-19 outcomes, prior knowledge on vaccination in hematological patients, recent published data on serological response in oncohematological patients and expert opinions. New information about SARS-CoV-2 vaccination will be gathered in the near future, providing new scientific grounds to delineate the most adequate management of vaccination in patients with hematological diseases. The current limited data on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in hematological patients represents a major limitation of this expert consensus opinion. In fact, the speed in which this field evolves may reduce their validity in the near future.

Keywords:

• SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
• COVID-19
• vaccination consensus
• onco-hematology
• stem cell transplantation
• allogeneic stem cell transplantation
• acute leukemia
• lymphoma
• myelodisplastic syndrome
• myeloproliferative neoplasm

Disclosure statement

JLP: Advisory Boards: Kite. Speaker’s Bureau: Merck and Sharp Dome; LV: no COI; RM: no COI; RdC: no COI; AS: Honoraria: Takeda, BMS, MSD, Sanofi, Roche, Novartis, Janssen. Consultancy: Takeda, BMS, Novartis, Celgene, Janssen, Gilead, Sanofi. Speaker’s Bureau: Takeda; RRV: no COI; AG: no COI; JS: no COI; JMR: no COI; AT: no COI; MVM: no COI; JdlR: no COI; MT: no COI; MDC: no COI; VGG: no COI; AAL: participated in advisory boards and has received speaker fees from Novartis, AOP and Celgene; JMS: no COI; AMGS: Honoraria: Roche, Celgene, Janssen, Servier, Gilead. Consulting fees: Roche, Celgene/BMS, Morphosys, Kyowa Kirin, Clinigen, Eusa Pharma, Novartis, Gilead, Servier; LY: no COI; JAPS: no COI; PB: declares having received honoraria from Amgen, Celgene, Gilead, Incyte, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, MSD, Novartis and Pfizer, not related with this article. P.B. received funding from the Carlos III FIS16/01433 Health Institute, Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (Ideas Semilla 2019) and a PERIS 2018–2020 grant from the Generalitat de Catalunya (BDNS357800), not related to this study; PA: has received honoraria from Janssen, Roche, Celgene, Abbie and Astrazeneca; IAT: no COI; SB: no COI; RL: no COI; IRC: has received honoraria Pfizer, MSD, BMS, jansenn, Astellas, Gillead; DN: no COI; JAHR: Advisory Boards: Janssen, Roche, Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Beigene, Gilead, BMS-Celgene, Amgen, Takeda, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Rovi. Scientific talks: Janssen, Roche, Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Gilead, BMS-Celgene, Amgen, Takeda, AstraZeneca, Lilly; AC: no COI; RGS: no COI; FB: Consultancy/Advisor: Abbvie, Celgene, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Takeda, Astra-Zeneca, Roche, TG therapeutics, Loxo, Beigin. Research Funding: Abbvie, Celgene, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Takeda, Astra-Zeneca, Roche.

Table 1. Summary of recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination according to the disease.