COVID-19 pandemic experience in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Abstract

e19534 Background: Patients (pts) with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) may be at an increased risk from COVID-19-related complications due to immunosuppression and common therapies with pulmonary toxicities (e.g. bleomycin, radiation). Additionally, they may experience unexpected adverse events (AEs) from the novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccines due to the intrinsic abnormalities in cellular immunity. Exploring their perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic and subjective AEs from the novel vaccines may ultimately allow providers to develop improved services based on needs of this specific population. Methods: We conducted a single-institution, questionnaire-based study in pts treated after 1/1/2015, for diagnosis of HL. Pts were identified through the electronic medical records at our institution. After signing an informed consent, pts answered 19 questions designed to reflect on their COVID-19 pandemic experience. An additional section aimed to determine the percentage of pts with a local or systemic AEs within 7 days of novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose. Results: We enrolled 30 pts with median age 28.5 years (18-66); 16 (53%) were male, and 26 (87%) were on active HL therapy. With data cutoff 1/28/2022, 27 pts (90%) completed the questionnaire. A total of 8 (27%) patients had COVID-19 infection with 75% of those occurring after the vaccination. None required hospitalization and none reported residual pulmonary issues. Eighteen (67%) had a member of their household test positive for COVID-19. Most pts (67%) did not require cancellation of their appointments due to COVID-19-related issues during the pandemic. 85% of pts participated in at least 1 telehealth medical appointment and the majority (72%) were satisfied with their telehealth experience for cancer care. A total of 24 (80%) pts received the novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (58% had Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2, 38% Moderna mRNA-1273, 4% Ad26.COV2.S) and 23 pts completed the AE section of the questionnaire. The vaccines were generally well-tolerated. Six pts (26%) reported at least one grade 3 AE, but none had grade 4 local or systemic AEs. The most common AE was pain at injection site (65% after dose 1, 55% after dose 2, 69% after dose 3). AEs that occurred in over 25% of pts during any of the injections included redness/swelling/pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and fever. Of 23 eligible pts, 13 (57%) received 3rd dose of the vaccine. No unexpected toxicities or autoimmune issues were noted by participants in this study following vaccination with a median follow up of 10 months after the 1st vaccine dose. Conclusions: Based on responses from our study, HL pts adjusted to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal disruptions to their cancer care, showed positive attitudes toward telehealth, and appear without any unexpected toxicities from the novel vaccines.