Management of Hematologic Malignancies in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: Pathogenetic Mechanisms, Impact of Obesity, Perspectives, and Challenges

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about an unprecedented societal and healthcare system crisis, considerably affecting healthcare workers and patients, particularly those with chronic diseases. Patients with hematologic malignancies faced a variety of challenges, pertinent to the nature of an underlying hematologic disorder itself as well as its therapy as a risk factor for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, suboptimal vaccine efficacy and the need for uninterrupted medical observation and continued therapy. Obesity constitutes another factor which was acknowledged since the early days of the pandemic that predisposed people to severe COVID-19, and shares a likely causal link with the pathogenesis of a broad spectrum of hematologic cancers. We review here the epidemiologic and pathogenetic features that obesity and hematologic malignancies share, as well as potential mutual pathophysiological links predisposing people to a more severe SARS-CoV-2 course. Additionally, we attempt to present the existing evidence on the multi-faceted crucial challenges that had to be overcome in this diverse patient group and discuss further unresolved questions and future challenges for the management of hematologic malignancies in the era of COVID-19.