Lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection in hematopoietic cell transplant and cell therapy recipients

Abstract

We investigated the outcomes after Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) or chimeric antigen receptor-T cell (CART) therapy recipients in a single-centre study including all (n = 261)HCT/CART recipients (allogeneic-HCT 49%, autologous-HCT 40%, CART 11%). The median age was 60 (22-80) years. COVID severity was mild (74%), moderate (11%), and severe/critical (16%) with a mortality rate of 7% and a median duration of infection of 5.7 weeks. Significant predictors of COVID severe disease or mortality included concurrent infection (HR 14.9, 95% CI 2.2-5.6) and immunosuppressive therapy (OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.2-3.4).HCT/CART recipients have a higher risk of mortality with COVID and warrant vigilant interventions.

Keywords:

• infectious complications
• marrow and stem cell transplantation
• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• hematopoietic stem cell transplant
• cellular
• therapy
• hematologic malignancies

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the manuscript and fulfilled the criteria per the uniform requirements set forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) guidelines. All authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No relevant conflict of interest. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. This manuscript has not been previously published and has not been submitted for publication elsewhere while under consideration.

Data availability statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

SHA has a speaking, consulting, and advisory role; research funding from Incyte and Therakos. JPM has speaking, consulting, and advisory role in Kite, Juno Therapeutics, Allovir, Magenta Therapeutics, EcoR1 Capital, and has research funding from Novartis, Fresenius Biotech, Astellas Pharma, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Gamida Cell, Pluristem Therapeutics, Kite and AlloVir.