Clinical characteristics and outcome of multiple myeloma patients with concomitant COVID-19 at Comprehensive Cancer Centers in Germany
Monika Engelhardt, Khalid Shoumariyeh, Amelie Rösner, Gabriele Ihorst, Francesca Biavasco, Katharina Meckel, Ivana von Metzler, Sebastian Treurich, Holger Hebart, Matthias Grube, Miriam Kull, Florian Bassermann, Kerstin Schäfer‐Eckart, Anette Hoferer, Hermann Einsele, Leo Rasche, Ralph Wäsch
Abstract
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered in Wuhan in December 2019 where it quickly led to a severe outbreak. In just a few weeks it evolved into a pandemic, with >3 million confirmed cases and >220,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19. ] Whether cancer in general and hematological malignancies in particular bear substantial risks, is of eminent interest, as these patients receive immune-modulatory treatment. Of additional concern is the risk for severe COVID-19 disease in hematological malignancies given cytotoxic chemotherapy, including novel agents such as immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD) and immunotherapies (i.e., monoclonal antibodies such as daratumumab, elotuzumab and others). 2,3 It is also unclear, whether the immunosuppressant state of cancer patients predisposes them to a severe COVID-19 disease or, if a diminished host immune response may decrease the risk of multiorgan complications. 3] n this German Multiple Myeloma (MM) Study Group Consortium (DSMM and GMMG), we aimed to characterize a population of MM patients registered from 10 institutions who developed COVID-19 at hotspot areas in Germany. All MM patients with concomitant SARS-CoV-2 infection were treated at secondary and tertiary Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCC). Our goal was to determine whether COVID-19 in MM patients resulted in a greater morbidity and mortality compared to prior COVID-19 reports in cancer and specifically in MM patients.