The serological prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia is similar to that in the general population

Bonifacio, Massimiliano; Tiribelli, Mario; Miggiano, Maria Cristina; Abruzzese, Elisabetta; Binotto, Gianni; Scaffidi, Luigi; Cordioli, Maddalena; Damiani, Daniela; Di Bona, Eros; Trawinska, Malgorzata Monika; Tanasi, Ilaria; Dubbini, Maria Vittoria; Velotta, Vanessa; Ceccarelli, Giulia; Pierdomenico, Elisabetta; Lo Schirico, Mariella; Semenzato, Gianpietro; Ruggeri, Marco; Fanin, Renato; Tacconelli, Evelina; Pizzolo, Giovanni; Krampera, Mauro

BACKGROUND: Patients with hematological malignancies are at an increased risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 disease (COVID‐19) and adverse outcome. However, a low mortality rate has been reported in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Preclinical evidence suggests that tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) may have a protective role against severe COVID‐19. METHODS: We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 564 consecutive patients with CML who were tested for anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG/IgM antibodies at their first outpatient visit between May and early November 2020 in five hematologic centers representative of three Italian regions. RESULTS: The estimated serological prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in patients with CML after the first pandemic wave was similar to that in the general population (about 2%), both at national and regional levels. CML patients with positive anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 serology were more frequently male (p = 0.027) and active workers (p = 0.012), while there was no significant association with TKI treatment type. Only 3 out of 11 IgG‐positive patients had previously received a molecular diagnosis of COVID‐19, while the remainders were asymptomatic or with mild symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm that the course of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in patients with CML is generally mild and reassure about the safety of continuing TKIs during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Furthermore, we suggest that patients with CML succeed to mount an antibody response after exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2, similar to the general population.