All-Cause Mortality and Its Predictors in Haemato-Oncology Patients with Febrile Neutropenia

Febrile neutropenia (FN) is one of the most important life-threatening complications in haemato-oncology. Our objective was to report all-cause mortality rates in patients ill with a hematological malignancy (HM) hospitalized with a first FN episode and to identify predictors for mortality. We conducted a historical retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with an HM, >18 years of age, admitted between January 2012 and August 2018 for a first episode of FN. Data on all-cause mortality 12 months after admission for FN were obtained. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to describe mortality during the follow-up period. Univariate and multivariable analyses identified predictors for 1,3 and 12-month mortality. One hundred and fifty-eight patients (mean age 69.5, 49.4% males) were included. Overall, 54 patients died (15.8%, 25.9%, and 34.1% died after 1, 3, and 12 months, respectively). Lower serum albumin, higher serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), older age, higher temperature, and lower absolute lymphocyte count at admission were independent predictors of all-cause mortality after 12 months. Further studies are needed to confirm our results and identify therapeutic strategies to improve survival.

Efficacy and safety of heterologous booster vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in haemato-oncological patients with no antibody response

Patients with haemato-oncological malignancies are one of the high-risk groups for a severe course in case of COVID-19 infections. Furthermore, vaccination results in significantly lower response rates in haematological malignancies and lower antibody levels in patients with solid cancer. We investigated efficacy and safety of a heterologous booster vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S DNA vector vaccine in haemato-oncological patients without antibody response after double-dose BNT162b2 messenger (m-)RNA COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 32 haemato-oncological non-responders to double-dose BNT162b2 received a heterologous booster vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S. Blood samples were assessed directly before the vaccination (T0) and four weeks after (T1). Safety assessment was performed using a standardised questionnaire. The overall response rate was 31%, with a mean (SD) antibody titre of 693·79 (1 096·99) binding activity units (BAU)/ml. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia or lymphoma showed a significantly lower response rate (P = 0·048). Adverse events were reported in 29·6% of patients, of which 7·1% were graded as severe, including grade III and IV events following the Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events (CTCAE). The heterologous booster vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S led to a serological response in nine out of 29 patients without response after double-dose BNT162b2. Furthermore, the vaccination was safe in our cohort, leading to mainly mild local and systemic reactions. Overall, this vaccination regimen should be further evaluated to increase the response rate in the highly vulnerable population of haemato-oncological patients.

Does rehabilitation pose a risk to patients suffering from haemato-oncological diseases? Results of a monocentric, retrospective analysis in Germany

OBJECTIVE

Patients suffering from haemato-oncological diseases tend to have a weakened immune system after the end of their therapy. To avoid infections, patients are advised to limit contact with other people. This poses the question whether a stay at a rehabilitation facility can be recommended.

METHODS

We report about 134 rehabilitation stays of patients. Premature discontinuation of the rehabilitation stay was selected as the criterion for a serious complication during the rehabilitation, and the underlying reasons were analysed.

RESULTS

Compared to the discontinuation rates of patients suffering from solid tumours (2.4%), the percentage of haemato-oncological patients ending prematurely their rehabilitation stay (8.2%) is significantly increased. This rises to 17.1% for patients who have undergone an allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The analysis of the discontinuation reasons revealed that they were not directly connected to the rehabilitation. Apart from the already known risk factors for premature termination of the rehabilitation stay, we have identified the period (days) between the last therapy and the beginning of the rehabilitation stay as a risk factor.

CONCLUSIONS

We show for the first time that a rehabilitation stay does not pose additional risks for patients suffering from haemato-oncological diseases.

The importance of cleanrooms for the treatment of haemato-oncological patients

The main purpose of cleanrooms in health care centres is to prevent hospital infections or leakage of a highly infectious agent (the source of haemorrhagic fevers, SARS, etc.) into the ambient environment and subsequently possibly threatening other individuals. Patients with haematological malignancies or after autologous or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) rank among immunosuppressed individuals. Prolonged and deep neutropenia is considered a key risk factor of the occurrence of an exogenous infection. One of the possibilities of preventing an exogenous infection in these patients is to place them in a "cleanroom" for the crucial period of time. Cleanrooms are intensive care units with reverse isolation. The final part of the general article below provides an overview of the technology and types of cleanrooms for immunosuppressed patients in compliance with the current recommendations and technical standards.