Clinical characteristics and outcomes of BCMA-targeted CAR-T cell recipients with COVID-19 during the Omicron wave: a retrospective study

Patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (R/R-MM) are more susceptible to develop severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for their immunocompromised states. Despite good responses to B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, deficiencies in humoral immunity following CAR-T cell infusions can still cause life-threatening complications in these patients. We conducted a comparative study to delineate the clinical characteristics and outcomes between recipients of BCMA-targeted CAR-T cell therapy who contracted COVID-19 vs. unaffected counterparts. Advanced age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.367, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.017–1.838, P = 0.038) was a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19, while complete remission (CR) achieved by CAR-T cell therapy (OR = 0.012, 95% CI = 0.000–0.674, P = 0.032) was protective. Male sex (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.274, 95% CI = 1.584–17.562, P = 0.007) and CR achieved by CAR-T cell therapy (HR = 3.107, 95% CI = 1.025–9.418, P = 0.045) were protective factors associated with COVID-19 duration. CR achieved by CAR-T cell therapy (HR = 0.064, 95% CI = 0.007–0.589, P = 0.015) was also a protective factor for OS, while progression disease at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis (HR = 14.206, 95% CI = 1.555–129.819, P = 0.019) was regarded as a risk factor. Thus, older patients with R/R-MM and those who do not achieve CR after CAR-T cell therapy should be most protected from COVID-19 infection by the Omicron variant.