COVID-19 in persons with haematological cancers

• Published in: Leukemia Vol. 34; no. 6; pp. 1637 - 1645
• Main Authors: He, Wenjuan, Chen, Lei, Chen, Li, Yuan, Guolin, Fang, Yun, Chen, Wenlan, Wu, Di, Liang, Bo, Lu, Xiaoting, Ma, Yanling, Li, Lei, Wang, Hongxiang, Chen, Zhichao, Li, Qiubai, Gale, Robert Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.06.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/699/1541/1990; 692/699/255; Adult; Betacoronavirus; Blood cancer; Cancer; Cancer Research; China - epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Comparative analysis; Confidence intervals; Coronavirus Infections - complications; Coronavirus Infections - transmission; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Critical Care Medicine; Development and progression; Fatalities; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Health care industry; Hematologic Neoplasms - complications; Hematologic Neoplasms - epidemiology; Hematology; Humans; Incidence; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional - statistics & numerical data; Infectious diseases; Intensive; Internal Medicine; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Oncology; Oncology, Experimental; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - complications; Pneumonia, Viral - transmission; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Public health; Risk analysis; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Viral diseases; Young Adult; China; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 0887-6924; 1476-5551; 1476-5551
• DOI: 10.1038/s41375-020-0836-7

Infection with SARS-CoV-2, the cause of coronavirus infectious disease–19 (COVID-19), has caused a pandemic with >850,000 cases worldwide and increasing. Several studies report outcomes of COVID-19 in predominately well persons. There are also some data on COVID-19 in persons with predominately solid cancer but controversy whether these persons have the same outcomes. We conducted a cohort study at two centres in Wuhan, China, of 128 hospitalised subjects with haematological cancers, 13 (10%) of whom developed COVID-19. We also studied 226 health care providers, 16 of whom developed COVID-19 and 11 of whom were hospitalised. Co-variates were compared with the 115 subjects with haematological cancers without COVID-19 and with 11 hospitalised health care providers with COVID-19. There were no significant differences in baseline co-variates between subjects with haematological cancers developing or not developing COVID-19. Case rates for COVID-19 in hospitalised subjects with haematological cancers was 10% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 6, 17%) compared with 7% (4, 12%; P  = 0.322) in health care providers. However, the 13 subjects with haematological cancers had more severe COVID-19 and more deaths compared with hospitalised health care providers with COVID-19. Case fatality rates were 62% (32, 85%) and 0 (0, 32%; P  = 0.002). Hospitalised persons with haematological cancers have a similar case rate of COVID-19 compared with normal health care providers but have more severe disease and a higher case fatality rate. Because we were unable to identify specific risk factors for COVID-19 in hospitalised persons with haematological cancers, we suggest increased surveillance and possible protective isolation.