Regional outcomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in hospitalised patients with haematological malignancy.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to characterise the outcomes of patients with haematological malignancy and SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital in our regional network of 7 hospitals. METHODS: Consecutive hospitalised patients with haematological malignancy and SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified from 01/03/2020 to 06/05/2020. Outcomes were categorised as death, resolved, or ongoing. The primary outcome was preliminary case fatality rate (pCFR), defined as the number of cases resulting in death as a proportion of all diagnosed cases. Analysis was primarily descriptive. RESULTS: 66 Patients were included, overall pCFR was 51.5%. Patients ≥ 70 years accounted for the majority of hospitalised cases (42, 63%) and fatalities (25, 74%). Mortality was similar between females (52%) and males (51%). Immunosuppressive or cytotoxic treatment within 3 months of the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a significantly higher preliminary Case Fatality Rate (pCFR) of 70%, compared with 28% in those not on active treatment (P = 0.0013, 2 proportions z-test). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates in patients with haematological malignancy and SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital are high supporting measures to minimise the risk of infection in this population.