CLL-specific scientific studies & literature related to COVID-19
In this section you will find a compilation of scientific studies and articles from the literature on COVID-19 relevant to CLL patients.
If you know about any current or published study on CLL and COVID-19, please let us know by sending us an email.

Journal Club Podcast in Oncology – Special Considerations in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Covid-19
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia are typically older, which also makes them more vulnerable to Covid-19. In this Journal Club podcast our faculty look at treatment of CLL patients with Covid-19, specifically BTK-inhibitors and monoclonal anti-CD20 antibodies. John Allan MD, Adam Kittai MD
Podcast 31:42 mins
To access the podcast, please click here!

COVID-19: Implications for Patients With CLL
Keep abreast of ongoing developments in providing optimal care for patients with CLL during COVID-19 and evolving research into countering COVID-19–associated inflammatory cytokine production! Get expert perspectives on emerging data with focused commentaries, an FAQ module, and a “living” slideset regularly updated to incorporate the most important clinical findings on CLL and COVID-19.
Jacqueline Barrientos, MD, MS / Brian Koffman, MDCM (retired), MS Ed / Nicole Lamanna, MD / John Pagel, MD, PhD / Jeff P. Sharman, MD / Jacob D. Soumerai, MD
To access the many interesting materials, please click here!

14 January 2021
Vaccinations in CLL: implications for COVID-19
Article published in “Blood” on variables to consider when studying the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine in patients with CLL. IVIG, intravenous immunoglobulin.
In this issue of Blood, 1 Their findings have immediate clinical implications and call for research preparedness as we eagerly anticipate access to vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the near future.
report results from 2 studies assessing differences in the humoral response to 2 different vaccines in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) on observation or receiving a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi).Please access the full article here.

14 January 2021
UK Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project (UKCCMP), which covered 61 UK centres, suggest that people with blood cancer are overrepresented in the group of people with cancer who tested positive for the virus – meaning they may be more likely to catch COVID-19 than people with other cancer types.
Multiple studies on the effects of Covid on patients with cancer.
Cancer Cell: Acute immune signatures and their legacies in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infected cancer patients – 4 January 2021

9 November 2020
Senior author Dr Vincent Munster was contacted in April by study co-author Francis Riedo, an infectious diseases expert, about a patient in Kirkland, Washington, who had had several positive PCR tests over a number of weeks.
An immunocompromised leukaemia patient was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus for at least 105 days, and was infectious up to 70 days after first testing positive for the virus, while remaining asymptomatic the entire time, US doctors have reported.
The case underlines the importance of immune system reactions to the virus in causing severe illness, the researchers suggest. The weakened immune system led to the patient being infected for a long period without symptoms, they report.
Please access the full article here.

First published: 3 Sept 2020
Outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with CLL: a multicenter international experience
Article published in “Blood”:
- Both watch-and-wait and treated CLL patients have high mortality rates when admitted for COVID-19.
- Receiving a BTKi for CLL at COVID-19 diagnosis severe enough to require hospitalization did not influence case fatality rate in this study.
Anthony R. MatoLindsey E. RoekerNicole LamannaJohn N. AllanLori LeslieJohn M. PagelKrish PatelAnders OsterborgDaniel WojenskiManali KamdarScott F. HuntingtonMatthew S. DavidsJennifer R. BrownDarko AnticRyan JacobsInhye E. AhnJeffrey PuKrista M. IsaacPaul M. BarrChaitra S. UjjaniMark B. GeyerEllin BermanAndrew D. ZelenetzNikita MalakhovRichard R. FurmanMichael KoropsakNeil BaileyLotta HansonGuilherme F. PeriniShuo MaChristine E. RyanAdrian WiestnerCraig A. PortellMazyar ShadmanElise A. ChongDanielle M. BranderSuchitra SundaramAmanda N. SeddonErlene SeymourMeera PatelNicolas Martinez-CalleTalha MunirRenata WalewskaAngus BroomHarriet WalterDima El-SharkawiHelen ParryMatthew R. WilsonPiers E. M. PattenJosé-Ángel Hernández-RivasFatima MirasNoemi Fernández EscaladaPaola GhioneChadi NabhanSonia LebowitzErica BhavsarJavier López-JiménezDaniel NayaJose Antonio Garcia-MarcoSigrid S. SkånlandRaul CordobaToby A. Eyre.
Please access the full article here.

First published: 3 Sept 2020
When CLL meets COVID-19
In this issue of Blood, 1 In this analysis, COVID-19 appears to be more severe in CLL patients than in the general population and, although risk factors are the same as for the general COVID-19 population, the outcome of patients needing admission is poor, with a case fatality rate of 37%. The Mato et al paper is particularly compelling as reports of COVID-19 in specific diseases are needed, particularly in cancer where COVID-19 adds to the physical and emotional distress these patients already suffer. Also, clinicians need guidance on how to advise and manage these patients.
report an international, multicenter analysis of 198 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and symptomatic COVID-19.Please access the full article here.

27 August 2020
Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody response in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Article published in “Leukemia” on Antibody response of CLL patients to COVID-19 and implications of this for response to vaccines.
Lindsey E. Roeker,1 David A. Knorr,1 Melissa S. Pessin,2 Lakshmi V. Ramanathan,2 Meghan C. Thompson,1 Lori A. Leslie,3 Andrew D. Zelenetz,4 and Anthony R. Mato
Please access the full article here.

First published: 13 August 2020
Clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity in patients with haematological malignancies in Italy: a retrospective, multicentre, cohort study
Background: Several small studies on patients with COVID-19 and haematological malignancies are available showing a high mortality in this population. The Italian Hematology Alliance on COVID-19 aimed to collect data from adult patients with haematological malignancies who required hospitalisation for COVID-19.
Interpretation: This study adds to the evidence that patients with haematological malignancies have worse outcomes than both the general population with COVID-19 and patients with haematological malignancies without COVID-19. The high mortality among patients with haematological malignancies hospitalised with COVID-19 highlights the need for aggressive infection prevention strategies, at least until effective vaccination or treatment strategies are available.
Please access the full article here. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3026(20)30251-9

First published: 20 July 2020
Outcomes of COVID-19 in Patients with CLL: A Multicenter, International Experience
Clinical Trials & Observations
Anthony R. Mato, Lindsey Elizabeth Roeker, Nicole Lamanna, John Allan, Lori Ann Leslie, John M. Pagel, Krish Patel, Anders Osterborg, Daniel Wojenski, Manali Kamdar, Scott F Huntington, Matthew S. Davids, Jennifer R. Brown, Darko Antic, Ryan W Jacobs, Inhye E Ahn, Jeffrey J Pu, Krista Isaac, Paul M. Barr, Chaitra Ujjani, Mark Blaine Geyer, Ellin Berman, Andrew D. Zelenetz, Nikita Malakhov, Richard R. Furman, Michael Koropsak, Neil Bailey, Lotta Hansson, Guilherme Fleury Perini, Shuo Ma, Christine E. Ryan, Adrian Wiestner, Craig A Portell, Mazyar Shadman, Elise A. Chong, Danielle M. Brander, Suchitra Sundaram, Amanda N. Seddon, Erlene Seymour, Meera Patel, Nicolas Martinez-Calle, Talha Munir, Renata Walewska, Angus Broom, Harriet Sarah Walter, Dima El-Sharkawi, Helen Parry, Matthew R. Wilson, Piers E Patten, José-Ángel Hernández-Rivas, Fatima Miras, Noemi Fernández Escalada, Paola Ghione, Chadi Nabhan, Sonia Lebowitz, Erica B Bhavsar, Javier López-Jiménez, Daniel Naya, Jose Antonio Garcia-Marco, Sigrid S Skånland, Raul Cordoba, Toby Andrew Eyre
KEY POINTS:
- Both watch and wait and treated CLL patients when admitted for COVID-19 have high mortality rates.
- Receiving a BTKi for CLL at COVID-19 diagnosis severe enough to require hospitalization did not influence case fatality rate in this study
This ASH paper is the largest multicentre study to date in CLL!
Please access the full article here.

First published: 9 July 2020
COVID-19 severity and mortality in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a joint study by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL, and CLL Campus

First published: 29 June 2020
COVID-19 among fit patients with CLL treated with venetoclax-based combinations
Moritz Fürstenau, Petra Langerbeins, Nisha De Silva, Anna Maria Fink, Sandra Robrecht, Julia von Tresckow, Florian Simon, Karin Hohloch, Jolanda Droogendijk, Marjolein van der Klift, Ellen van der Spek, Thomas Illmer, Björn Schöttker, Kirsten Fischer, Clemens M. Wendtner, Eugen Tausch, Stephan Stilgenbauer, Carsten U. Niemann, Michael Gregor, Arnon P. Kater, Michael Hallek, & Barbara Eichhorst.
Leukemia (2020)
Please access the full article here

First published: 18 May 2020
Clinical Outcome of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Haemato‐oncology Patients
James A. Aries, Jeffrey K. Davies, Rebecca L. Auer, Simon L. Hallam, Silvia Montoto, Matthew Smith, Belen Sevillano, Vanessa Foggo, Bela Wrench, Krzysztof Zegocki, Samir Agrawal, Rifca Le Dieu, Edward Truelove, Thomas Erblich, Shamzah Araf, Jessica Okosun, Heather Oakervee, Jamie D. Cavenagh, John G. Gribben, John C. Riches
Summary: The initial reports from China show that patients with cancer are over‐represented among individuals who develop severe Covid‐19 after contracting the virus.(4) Patients with haematological malignancies are expected to be at increased risk of adverse outcomes from this viral infection, due being immunosuppressed as a consequence of the underlying cancer, and from the effects of therapy. Our data demonstrate that while patients with haematological cancers have worse outcomes after Covid-19 than the background population, the majority still survive.
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi:10.1111/bjh.16852
Please access the full article here.

Published in Blood: 17 April 2020
The BTK-inhibitor ibrutinib may protect against pulmonary injury in COVID-19 infected patients
Steven P Treon, Jorge Castillo, Alan P Skarbnik, Jacob D Soumerai, Irene M Ghobrial, Maria Luisa Guerrera, Kirsten E. Meid, Guang Yang
Paper from latest ASH COVID related publications.
Please access the full article here

First published: 7 May 2020
Survival study of hospitalized patients with concurrent Covid‐19 and haematological malignancies
Fernando Martín‐Moro, Juan Marquet, Miguel Piris, Berta M Michael, Adolfo J Sáez, Magdalena Corona, Carlos Jiménez, Beatriz Astibia, Irene García, Eulalia Rodríguez, Carlota García‐Hoz, Jesús Fortún‐Abete, Pilar Herrera, Javier López‐Jiménez
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi:10.1111/bjh.16801
Please access the full article here

First published: 30 April 2020
Management of CLL Patients Early in the COVID‐19 Pandemic: An International Survey of CLL Experts
Brian Koffman, Anthony Mato, John C. Byrd, Alexey Danilov, Brad Hedrick, Chaitra Ujjani, Lindsey Roeker, Deborah M. Stephens, Matthew S. Davids, John M. Pagel, Mazyar Shadman
You can access the full article here.
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1002/ajh.25851.

Published: 30 April 2020
Covid-19 infection in therapy-naive patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia
S. Paneesha,a,b G. Pratt,a,b H. Parry,a,b and P. Mossa,b,⁎
You can access the full article here.

Published: 24 April 2020
COVID-19 in persons with haematological cancers
- Wenjuan He, Lei Chen, Li Chen, Guolin Yuan, Yun Fang, Wenlan Chen, Di Wu, Bo Liang, Xiaoting Lu, Yanling Ma, Lei Li, Hongxiang Wang, Zhichao Chen, Qiubai Li & Robert Peter Gale
You can access the full article here.