The prevalence of cancer in patients with the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19), caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, is uncertain. In a pooled meta‐analysis including 11 retrospective studies, the prevalence of cancer was 2% (Desai et al, 2020). Patients with cancer and Covid‐19 have been described to have a higher risk of suffering severe events (intensive care unit admission and invasive ventilation or dying) in a retrospective study including 18 patients with cancer (Liang et al, 2020). One study reported 13 Covid‐19 cases in a cohort of 128 hospitalized patients with haematological cancers, with no significant differences in baseline co‐variates between patients developing or not developing Covid‐19 (He et al, 2020).

In this retrospective international multicenter study, we describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related disorders (small lymphocytic lymphoma and high‐count monoclonal B lymphocytosis) infected by SARS‐CoV‐2, including the development of post‐COVID condition. Data from 1540 patients with CLL infected by SARS‐CoV‐2 from January 2020 to May 2022 were included in the analysis and assigned to four phases based on cases disposition and SARS‐CoV‐2 variants emergence. Post‐COVID condition was defined according to the WHO criteria. Patients infected during the most recent phases of the pandemic, though carrying a higher comorbidity burden, were less often hospitalized, rarely needed intensive care unit admission, or died compared to patients infected during the initial phases. The 4‐month overall survival (OS) improved through the phases, from 68% to 83%, p = .0015. Age, comorbidity, CLL‐directed treatment, but not vaccination status, emerged as risk factors for mortality. Among survivors, 6.65% patients had a reinfection, usually milder than the initial one, and 16.5% developed post‐COVID condition. The latter was characterized by fatigue, dyspnea, lasting cough, and impaired concentration. Infection severity was the only risk factor for developing post‐COVID. The median time to resolution of the post‐COVID condition was 4.7 months. OS in patients with CLL improved during the different phases of the pandemic, likely due to the improvement of prophylactic and therapeutic measures against SARS‐CoV‐2 as well as the emergence of milder variants. However, mortality remained relevant and a significant number of patients developed post‐COVID conditions, warranting further investigations.

Backgound: In the workup of follicular lymphoma (FL), bone marrow biopsy (BMB) assessment is a key component of FLIPI and FLIPI2, the most widely used outcome scores. During the previous decade, several studies explored the role of FDG‐PET/CT for detecting nodal and extranodal disease, with only one large study comparing both techniques.Methods: The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and the prognostic impact of both procedures in a retrospective cohort of 299 FL patients with both tests performed at diagnosis. In order to avoid a collinearity bias, FLIPI2 was deconstructed in its founding parameters, and the bone marrow involvement (BMI) parameter separately included as: a positive BMB, a positive PET/CT, the combined “PET/CT and BMB positive” or “PET/CT or BMB positive”. These variables were also confronted independently with the POD24 in 233 patients treated with intensive regimens.Results: In the total cohort, bone marrow was involved in 124 and 60 patients by BMB and PET/CT, respectively. In terms of overall survival, age > 60 y.o. and the combined “PET/CT or BMB positive” achieved statistical independence as a prognostic factor. In patients treated with an intensive regimen, only the combined “PET/CT or BMB positive” added prognostic value for a shorter overall survival, when confronted with the POD24.Conclusion: Our results show that in FL both BMB and PET/CT should be considered at diagnosis, as their combined assessment provides independent prognostic value in the context of the most widely use clinical scores.