Immunophenotype of lymphocytes and real-world outcome of COVID-19 infection in children with hematology and oncology

• Published in: BMC cancer 2024-04, Vol.24 (1), p.538-538, Article 538
• Main Authors: Zhang, Na, Wang, Zhen, Li, Hong, Chen, Kai, Wang, Hong-Sheng, Shao, Jing-Bo, Jiang, Sha-Yi, Zhai, Xiao-Wen, Jiang, Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Analysis; Antigens; Asymptomatic; B cells; Cancer; Cancer therapies; CD3 antigen; CD4 antigen; CD8 antigen; Cell differentiation; Cell number; Chemotherapy; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; China - epidemiology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - immunology; Development and progression; Disease; Effector cells; Female; Fever; Flow cytometry; Health aspects; Hematologic Neoplasms - complications; Hematologic Neoplasms - immunology; Hematology; Humans; Immune response; Immunocompromise; Immunological memory; Immunophenotype; Immunophenotyping; Immunotherapy; Infant; Infection; Infections; Intensive care; Lymphocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Lymphocytes T; Male; Measurement; Medical records; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Memory cells; Mortality; Neoplasms - immunology; Oncology; Pandemics; Patients; Pediatrics; Pneumonia; Population; Questionnaires; Retrospective Studies; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; Severity of Illness Index; Stem cell transplantation; Surveys; T cells; Ventilators
• ISSN: 1471-2407; 1471-2407
• DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12262-1

Patients with immunocompromise were suspected to encounter a high risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection on early period; however, data is lacking nowadays and immune response remain unclear. In this retrospective study, internet questionnaire survey and medical records were acquired in pediatric hematology oncology patients. Clinical severity, immunological characteristics, and outcomes were analyzed from December 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023 at the 3rd year of pandemic in China. A total of 306 patients were included, with 21 patients (6.9%) asymptomatic, 262 (85.6%) mild severity, 17 (5.6%) moderate severity, 5 (1.6%) severe severity, and 1 (0.3%) critical severity. Seventy-eight (25.5%) patients were on intensive chemotherapy, and 32.0% children were on maintenance chemotherapy. Delays in cancer therapy occurred in 86.7% patients. Univariable analysis revealed active chemotherapy (P