COVID-19 mortality higher in patients with active AML vs. those in remission

Key clinical point: The source of COVID-19 in most patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was presumed to be in-hospital transmission with mortality because COVID-19 was higher in patients with active disease than those in remission.

Major finding: The source of infection was in-hospital transmission in 63% of cases. The overall rate of mortality was 54.5%, with a higher incidence in patients with active AML vs. those in AML remission (83% vs. 17%; P = .0052).

Study details: This retrospective survey evaluated the response of 10 Brazilian hematologists representing 10 cancer centers, providing data on 33 adult patients with either active AML (n = 20) or in AML remission (n = 13) and a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. The patients were admitted to the hospital mainly through urgent or emergency care units.

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Disclosures: No source of funding was identified. The authors declared no conflict of interests.

Source: Fagundes EM et al. Ann Hematol. 2021 Sep 17. doi:  10.1007/s00277-021-04659-w.