Bitran, Jacob D.

ImportanceSystematic data on the association between anticancer therapies and thromboembolic events (TEEs) in patients with COVID-19 are lacking.ObjectiveTo assess the association between anticancer therapy exposure within 3 months prior to COVID-19 and TEEs following COVID-19 diagnosis in patients with cancer.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis registry-based retrospective cohort study included patients who were hospitalized and had active cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data were accrued from March 2020 to December 2021 and analyzed from December 2021 to October 2022.ExposureTreatments of interest (TOIs) (endocrine therapy, vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors/tyrosine kinase inhibitors [VEGFis/TKIs], immunomodulators [IMiDs], immune checkpoint inhibitors [ICIs], chemotherapy) vs reference (no systemic therapy) in 3 months prior to COVID-19.Main Outcomes and MeasuresMain outcomes were (1) venous thromboembolism (VTE) and (2) arterial thromboembolism (ATE). Secondary outcome was severity of COVID-19 (rates of intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, 30-day all-cause mortality following TEEs in TOI vs reference group) at 30-day follow-up.ResultsOf 4988 hospitalized patients with cancer (median [IQR] age, 69 [59-78] years; 2608 [52%] male), 1869 had received 1 or more TOIs. Incidence of VTE was higher in all TOI groups: endocrine therapy, 7%; VEGFis/TKIs, 10%; IMiDs, 8%; ICIs, 12%; and chemotherapy, 10%, compared with patients not receiving systemic therapies (6%). In multivariable log-binomial regression analyses, relative risk of VTE (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04-1.69) but not ATE (aRR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.56-1.16) was significantly higher in those exposed to all TOIs pooled together vs those with no exposure. Among individual drugs, ICIs were significantly associated with VTE (aRR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01-2.07). Also noted were significant associations between VTE and active and progressing cancer (aRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.01-2.03), history of VTE (aRR, 3.10; 95% CI, 2.38-4.04), and high-risk site of cancer (aRR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.14-1.75). Black patients had a higher risk of TEEs (aRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.50) than White patients. Patients with TEEs had high intensive care unit admission (46%) and mechanical ventilation (31%) rates. Relative risk of death in patients with TEEs was higher in those exposed to TOIs vs not (aRR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.91-1.38) and was significantly associated with poor performance status (aRR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.30-2.40) and active/progressing cancer (aRR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.13-2.13).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study, relative risk of developing VTE was high among patients receiving TOIs and varied by the type of therapy, underlying risk factors, and demographics, such as race and ethnicity. These findings highlight the need for close monitoring and perhaps personalized thromboprophylaxis to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19–related thromboembolism in patients with cancer.

ImportanceCytokine storm due to COVID-19 can cause high morbidity and mortality and may be more common in patients with cancer treated with immunotherapy (IO) due to immune system activation.ObjectiveTo determine the association of baseline immunosuppression and/or IO-based therapies with COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm in patients with cancer.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis registry-based retrospective cohort study included 12 046 patients reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry from March 2020 to May 2022. The CCC19 registry is a centralized international multi-institutional registry of patients with COVID-19 with a current or past diagnosis of cancer. Records analyzed included patients with active or previous cancer who had a laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction and/or serologic findings.ExposuresImmunosuppression due to therapy; systemic anticancer therapy (IO or non-IO).Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was a 5-level ordinal scale of COVID-19 severity: no complications; hospitalized without requiring oxygen; hospitalized and required oxygen; intensive care unit admission and/or mechanical ventilation; death. The secondary outcome was the occurrence of cytokine storm.ResultsThe median age of the entire cohort was 65 years (interquartile range [IQR], 54-74) years and 6359 patients were female (52.8%) and 6598 (54.8%) were non-Hispanic White. A total of 599 (5.0%) patients received IO, whereas 4327 (35.9%) received non-IO systemic anticancer therapies, and 7120 (59.1%) did not receive any antineoplastic regimen within 3 months prior to COVID-19 diagnosis. Although no difference in COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm was found in the IO group compared with the untreated group in the total cohort (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.13, and aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.41-1.93, respectively), patients with baseline immunosuppression treated with IO (vs untreated) had worse COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm (aOR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.38-8.01, and aOR, 4.41; 95% CI, 1.71-11.38, respectively). Patients with immunosuppression receiving non-IO therapies (vs untreated) also had worse COVID-19 severity (aOR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.36-2.35) and cytokine storm (aOR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.42-3.79).Conclusions and RelevanceThis cohort study found that in patients with cancer and COVID-19, administration of systemic anticancer therapies, especially IO, in the context of baseline immunosuppression was associated with severe clinical outcomes and the development of cytokine storm.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04354701

Abstract Background: Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is associated with multiple myeloma (MM) and often worsened with thalidomide (THAL) and vincristine (VCR) therapy. Bortezomib (BTZ) is a proteasome inhibitor approved for the treatment of MM that has been also shown to cause PN. An increased risk of BTZ-induced PN has been associated with the presence of both PN and diabetes mellitus (DM) before treatment. However, the incidence and characteristics of BTZ-induced PN among MM patients (pts) retreated with another BTZ-containing regimen is unknown. We analyzed the incidence, severity and risk factors for PN after treatment of MM pts with a second BTZ-containing regimen. Methods: Retrospective chart analysis. MM pts that had progressed from at least one prior BTZ-containing regimen and had received treatment with another BTZ-containing regimen were eligible. Pts had to have experienced PN during the course of the first BTZ regimen and could not have received therapy with THAL or VCR. The protocol was later amended to allow inclusion of pts without PN during their first BTZ treatment and those who had received THAL or VCR. Statistical significance was assessed using Fisher’s or McNemar’s tests as appropriate. The relationship between comorbidities, prior THAL or VCR treatment and PN grade after BTZ treatment and re-treatment was analyzed using a multivariate logistics regression model. All statistical analyses were two-sided and were performed at the 0.05 level of significance. Results: As of July 3, 2014, 83 pts have been accrued to the retrospective analysis, and 58 chart reviews have been completed. The median age of pts included in the analysis was 64 years (range: 31-84 years); 57% of the pts were male and 69% were Caucasian. Pts had received a median of 2 prior regimens (range: 2-10); 43% of the pts had received prior regimens containing THAL and 15% of those had also received therapy with VCR. Prior to the protocol amendment, the eligibility criteria required pts to have experienced PN after the first BTZ treatment; therefore, most pts included in this analysis (88%) had PN.During their first BTZ treatment, the most severe grade of PN experienced by the majority of the pts was grade 1 (N=34), followed by grade 2 (N=13) and grade 3 (N=4). A comparison of the symptoms assessed when pts had their most severe grade of PN during this treatment and the severity reported at its onset showed that PN worsened in only 16% of pts. Nearly half (48%) of pts showed no change in PN whereas symptoms improved or resolved in 15% and 9% of the pts, respectively. During treatment with the second BTZ-containing regimen, a comparable proportion of pts (N=44; 76%) reported having experienced PN. Among those experiencing PN upon re-treatment, the most severe grade of PN experienced by the majority of the pts (N=29) was also grade 1, followed by grade 2 (N=12) and grade 3 (N=3). During the second BTZ treatment, a comparison of the symptoms that pts had when PN was at its worst and those recorded at its onset demonstrated that PN worsened in only 7% of the pts. PN showed no change in 47%, improved in 15%, or resolved in 7% of the pts.Interestingly, 17% of the pts (N=10) who had reported PN while receiving their first BTZ-containing regimen did not report this complication during their second BTZ treatment, while 7% of the pts (N=4) experienced PN only upon re-exposure. There was no association between the incidence of PN during the first BTZ treatment and its incidence during re-treatment (p=0.1213) or between the severity of PN (defined as worsening vs. not worsening) after first BTZ treatment and its severity after BTZ re-exposure (p=0.1306). Fifty-four percent of the pts presented with comorbidities, including DM (26%), hypertension (HTN, 22%) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD, 13%). There were no associations between PN grade after BTZ treatment and prior THAL or VCR exposure (p=0.5569) or between PN grade and comorbidities (DM, p=0.6657; HTN, p=0.9966; PVD, p=0.9966). Similar results were found for BTZ re-exposure (THAL or VCR, p=0.8672; DM, p=0.4137; HTN, p=0.2033; PVD, p=0.9954). Conclusions: Results from this retrospective study show that the severity and incidence of PN did not change with a second BTZ-containing regimen. Comorbidities or prior therapy with other PN-inducing agents such as THAL or VCR did not significantly increase the risk of PN after BTZ re-treatment. Enrollment into the study continues and updated results will be presented at the meeting. Disclosures Berenson: Millennium: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Tabbara:Millennium: Speakers Bureau. Lutzky:Millennium: Speakers Bureau. Ailawadhi:Millennium: Consultancy. Moezi:Millennium: Speakers Bureau.