Clinical Outcomes of COVID-19 in Hematological Malignancies in Jordan : Tertiary Cancer Center Experience

Introduction: The COVID-19 infection has a devastating clinical outcome among individuals with immunocompromised states, particularly those with malignancies. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on patients with hematological malignancies in low and middle-income countries is not well studied. Herein, we sought to report the clinical outcomes of the COVID-19 infection in patients with hematological malignancies treated at a single institution.

Methods: Electronic medical record charts of patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies (leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma) were reviewed. Patients who were diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction test between April 2020 and October 2020 were identified as the subjects of this study. The demographic data, including tumor characteristics, laboratory results, anti-cancer treatments, patient outcomes (need for hospitalization, ICU admission, complications, and mortality), were extracted and analyzed.

Results: We identified 89 patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies who were infected with COVID-19 during the eligibility period. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 54 years (range, 19-80 years). Fifty-two patients (58%) were male, and 37 patients (42%) were female. Of the 89 cases, 41 patients (46%) were diagnosed with lymphoma, 27 patients (30%) had leukemia, 21 patients (24%) had multiple myeloma. 84 patients (94%) received prior anti-cancer treatment, such as: chemotherapy (n=47, 53%), immunotherapy (n= 4, 4%), chemoimmunotherapy (n=26, 29%), and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (n=3, 3%). At the time of COVID-19 diagnosis, 52 patients (58%) had active malignancy, while 37 patients (42%) were in remission. Fifty-nine patients (66%) had comorbidities, with hypertension (n=32, 36%) being the most commonly reported comorbidity, followed by diabetes mellitus (n=25, 28%) and ischemic heart disease (n=8, 9%). The most encountered presentations were: fever (n=32, 36%) followed by cough (n=31, 35%), shortness of breath (n=21, 23%), aches (n=6, 7%), fatigue (n=6, 7%), and ageusia (n=6, 7%). Forty subjects (45%) were hospitalized, 11 patients (12%) were eventually admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Notably, the hospitalization and ICU admission rates were higher among the people aged more than 53 years (n= 24, 59%; n=9, 82%, respectively). Among the 89 patients, complications were recognized in 36% of the patients (n=32), with sepsis (n=12, 13%), acute kidney injury (n=11, 12%), and cardiovascular complications (n=3, 3%) being the most prevalent complications. The median time interval between the date of COVID-19 diagnosis and the last follow-up date was 3 months (range, 2 days-6.4 months). At the time of the last follow-up, 64 patients (72%) remained alive, and 25 patients (28%) succumbed to COVID-related complications.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 infection has deteriorated clinical outcomes among patients with hematological malignancies, which could be attributed to the high incidence of infections, increased risk of hospitalizations/ICU admissions, and other COVID-related complications. Such high morbidity and mortality rates necessitate future studies to outline the potential risk factors for COVID-related complications and modifications in the plan of care, including evaluation of the effect of vaccination on the outcome of these patients.