Outcome of COVID‐19 in Patients With Mantle Cell Lymphoma—Report From the European MCL Registry

• Published in: HemaSphere 2022-05, Vol.6 (5), p.e0711-n/a
• Main Authors: Tilch, Marie‐Kristin, Visco, Carlo, Kinda, Sandra, Hermine, Olivier, Kohn, Milena, Besson, Caroline, Lamure, Sylvain, Duléry, Rémy, Ragaini, Simone, Eyre, Toby A., Van Meerten, Tom, Ohler, Anke, Eckerle, Steffen, Dreyling, Martin, Hess, Georg, Giné, Eva, Gomes da Silva, Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Hematology; Human health and pathology; Life Sciences
• ISSN: 2572-9241; 2572-9241
• DOI: 10.1097/HS9.0000000000000711

Data on outcome of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and COVID‐19 infection are limited. The European MCL (EMCL) registry is a centralized registry of the EMCL network, collecting real‐world information about treatments and disease courses. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, additional data on MCL patients with COVID‐19 infection were collected, aiming to identify risk factors for mortality from COVID‐19. In our retrospective, multicenter, international study, we collected data from 63 MCL patients with a median age of 64 years (range, 44–84) in 9 countries with evidence of a COVID‐19 infection between February 2020 and October 2021. The overall mortality rate was high (44.4%), especially in hospitalized patients (61%) and in patients with need for intensive care unit care (94%). Patients receiving rituximab had significantly poorer survival than patients not receiving rituximab (P = 0.04). Our data highlight the importance of prevention strategies and underline the need for effective vaccination in this vulnerable cohort.