Impact of COVID-19 on Hematologic Cancer Patients: Insights From the Late Pandemic Phase

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased mortality risks for individuals with hematological malignancies. Patients and Methods: We conducted a single-center observational study, focusing on the late pandemic phase of the infection (2022–2023), to identify risk factors associated with COVID-19 outcomes in vaccinated patients with hematological malignancies. Results: Eighty-five COVID-19 cases were recorded among patients with hematological malignancies, primarily Multiple Myeloma (MM) (38.8%), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (10.6%) and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) (35.3%). Despite a high COVID-19 vaccination rate (97.6%), severe/critical illness occurred in 23.5% of patients. The overall COVID-19-related mortality rate was 22.4%, with a 30-day mortality rate of 11.8%. Although mortality rates significantly decreased over the observation time (27.7% vs. 16.7%), this trend was not confirmed in critical infection carriers. Conclusion: Our data confirm that, despite a reduction in critical infections and overall mortality rates over time, patients with hematological malignancies remain at high risk during the endemic phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection.