Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in Chinese patients with hematologic malignancies in the Omicron era

Patients with hematologic malignancies are often immunodeficient and therefore have a higher risk of severe symptoms from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We retrospectively examined a cohort of 289 patients from 16 hospitals in Zhejiang Province who had hematologic malignancies and COVID-19 during a period when the Omicron variant was predominant. Univariate analysis showed that some clinical characteristics, including elder age (P = 0.014), multiple comorbid conditions (P = 0.011), and receipt of active antineoplastic therapy (P = 0.018) were associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19. Patients with severe/critical COVID-19 had significantly lower levels of lymphocytes and serum albumin, and significantly higher levels of D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 (all P < 0.05). Fifty-four patients (18.7%) had symptoms lasting >= 3 weeks, suggesting that persistent long-term COVID-19 infection is likely present in a significant proportion of patients. Receipt of the inactivated vaccine was unrelated to disease severity (P = 0.143), which indicated that many patients with hematologic malignancies may not have effective humoral immunity to inactivated vaccines.

Automated summary

Patients with hematologic malignancies are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 due to their immunodeficiency. A retrospective study of 289 patients in Zhejiang Province showed that older age, comorbid conditions, and active antineoplastic therapy were associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19. Patients with severe disease had abnormal levels of lymphocytes and inflammatory markers, and a significant proportion experienced persistent symptoms. The effectiveness of inactivated vaccines in these patients was uncertain.