Therapeutic approach in acute leukemia patients in the COVID-19 era

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has already affected 180 countries. Older patients and patients with cancer or immunosuppression are at greater risk of severe forms of the disease. Patients with acute leukemia are challenging to manage during the pandemic. Recommendations for the management of these patients are based on expert opinion. This is a population in which polymerase chain reac-tion tests for SARS-CoV-2 must be performed routinely and cytotoxic chemotherapy should be deferred as far as possible in positive patients. On the other hand, some of the frequently used drugs such as corticosteroids, rituximab or asparaginase, can potentially complicate the course of COVID-19, so consideration should be given to deferring or adjusting them in higher-risk populations. In the same way, considering the particularities of each center, in certain cases it may be reasonable to give preference to outpatient regimens that also allow us to decrease the transfusion requirement. Finally, many of the patients with acute leukemia are candidates to receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). The limitation of the spaces in intensive care units must be considered, as well as the degree of immunosuppression derived from the transplant. The recommendation is not to defer alloHSCT in patients with an increased risk of relapse. Later, we will learn about the consequences on of the modifications in treatment on leukemia derived from the pandemic.