COVID-19 in children with haematological malignancies
Gerard Millen, Roland Arnold, Jean‐Baptiste Cazier, Helen Curley, Richard Feltbower, Ashley Gamble, Adam Glaser, Richard G. Grundy, Laura Kirton, Lennard Y. W. Lee, Martin G. McCabe, Claire Palles, Bob Phillips, Charles Stiller, Csilla Várnai, Pamela Kearns
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with cancer are not at increased risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, adults with haematological malignancies have increased risk of severe infections compared with non-haematological malignancies. METHODS: We compared patients with haematological and non-haematological malignancies enrolled in the UK Paediatric Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project between 12 March 2020 and 16 February 2021. Children who received stem cell transplantation were excluded. RESULTS: Only 2/62 patients with haematological malignancy had severe/critical infections, with an OR of 0.5 for patients with haematological compared with non-haematological malignancies. INTERPRETATION: Children with haematological malignancies are at no greater risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection than those with non-haematological malignancies.