Abstract

Objective: The study aims to determine the frequency and clinical features of COVID-19 during the long-term follow-up of patients with hematological malignancies.

Methods: Patients with hematological malignancies followed in our center were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups with having COVID-19 between April 01, 2020, and July 01, 2021: those who had COVID-19 [COVID (+)] and those who didn’t have COVID-19 [COVID (-)].

Results: 1258 patients were evaluated. Of these, 288 (22.9%) were found to have had COVID-19. The most common and least common diagnoses in the COVID (+) group were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) (21.7%) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) (6.9%), respectively. The malignancies with the highest and lowest rates of COVID-19 (+) were multiple myeloma (MM) (35.6%) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients (17.8%), respectively. The median age was higher in COVID (+) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients than in COVID (-) patients (73 vs. 66; p= 0.001). All deaths were due to COVID in COVID (+) patients. The mortality rate for all patients was found to be significantly higher in the COVID (+) group than in the COVID (-) group (22.8% vs. 11.9%; p<0.001). Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (39.5%) and acute leukemia (AL) (35.7%) had the highest mortality rates in the COVID (+) group. The mortality rates in COVID (+) CLL (26% vs. 7%), AL (35.7% vs. 17.7%) and MM (28.6% vs. 9.2%) were significantly higher than in the COVID (-) group. There were no deaths due to COVID-19 in CML patients. 79.8% of COVID (+) patients were hospitalized, and the mortality rate in these patients was significantly higher than in outpatients (34.6% vs. 2.8%; p<0.001). The patients with the highest need for mechanic ventilation had MDS (44.8%) and AL (36%).

Conclusion: Our study provides important data to the literature comparing the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on all hematological malignancies with malignant patients who do not have COVID-19.