Convalescent plasma improves survival in COVID-19 patients with hematological malignancies

San Antonio (17 June 2021) — Convalescent plasma therapy has been associated with improved survival in patients with hematological cancer hospitalized with COVID-19, especially those with illness. The findings of the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) have been newly published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Oncology.

UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson’s Hometown Maze Cancer CenterIs part of CCC19. The International Consortium consists of 124 medical centers and institutions in the Americas that conduct research to learn how COVID-19 affects cancer patients.

Dimpy Shah, MD, PhDIs an epidemiologist and an assistant professor of artificial health science. University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, And its members of the Maze Cancer Center. She is a member of the CCC19 Steering Committee, leads the Consortium’s Core Epidemiology Committee, and is the co-lead author of this study.

“Early case reports suggested that patients with COVID-19 cancer benefited from convalescent plasma, which used this large real-world dataset to survive with convalescent plasma. This is the first analysis associated with improved rates, “said Dr. Shah.

The analysis compared 30-day mortality rates for adults hospitalized for both hematological malignancies and COVID-19 from patient data provided by the CCC19 Consortium. The analysis compared treatment data from 143 patients who received convalescent plasma with 823 patients who did not.

“Our study showed a 48% reduction in the risk of death for COVID patients with blood cancer and convalescent plasma compared to similar patients who did not receive this treatment.” She said. “This life-prolonging effect of convalescent plasma was even greater in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (60% reduction in mortality risk) and those requiring mechanical ventilation (68% reduction in mortality),” she said. It was.

Blood cancer is associated with a defect in the immune system. They begin either in the bone marrow, where blood is made, or in the cells of the immune system. These types of cancer include leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

Plasma is the largest component of human blood. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are other major blood components. Convalescent plasma is plasma provided by patients who have recovered from an infection such as COVID 19 and has been used to treat other patients suffering from this disease. Convalescent plasma was used to treat patients with viral infections during the 1916 polio outbreak in New York, during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, and thereafter.

“While acknowledging the limitations of non-randomized observational data, this study provides an important signal about the benefits of convalescent plasma. Researchers have found that convalescent plasma in patients with blood cancer and severe COVID-19. We encourage you to conduct randomized clinical trials to positively assess the benefits of. ” Pankil Shah, MD, PhD, MSPH, UT Health Associate Professor of Urology, San Antonio. As a lead data scientist, Dr. Pankil Shah analyzed this CCC19 study.

Ruben Mesa, MD, FACPThe Executive Director of the Maze Cancer Center said: “CCC19 membership is just one example of our Cancer Center’s commitment to providing the best possible care for patients across South Texas. In addition to providing evidence-based treatment, We also offer patients participation in hundreds of cancer clinical trials conducted nationwide and at cancer centers to evaluate the most up-to-date treatments possible. “

He goes on to say: “During the pandemic, we cared for patients safely and encouraged the public to continue to undergo cancer screening to avoid the possibility of undiagnosed cancer progressing to more difficult stages of treatment. We are open and ready to safely provide cancer screening, research opportunities and treatments to people in South Texas. “