COVID-19 Infection Increases Antibody Response Against SARS-CoV-2 in Patients With Multiple Myeloma

In patients with multiple myeloma (MM), those with COVID-19 have a better antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 than those vaccinated with the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine, according to data presented at the American Society of Hematology’s 2021 Annual Meeting.

To determine whether patients with MM have a suboptimal antibody response to vaccination against COVID-19, a research team from Greece evaluated 35 patients with MM who were diagnosed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19. Participants were matched for age, sex, line of treatment, myeloma type, treatment type, and response with 35 patients with MM who had received the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine during the same period (January to May 2021).

The researchers then collected serum 4 weeks after the COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed or 4 weeks after the second dose of the vaccine was administered, depending on the group, and measured neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

As a result of this measurement, they determined that participants with MM and COVID‑19 had a better humoral response than participants with MM who had been vaccinated against COVID-19. Median neutralizing antibody titers were 88% for participants with COVID-19 and 59% for vaccinated participants (p = 0.01).

In both groups, 27 of the 35 participants (77%) were receiving active treatment for MM during the antibody evaluation. In the subgroup who did not receive active treatment, no significant difference in neutralizing antibody production was found between COVID-19 participants with MM and vaccinated participants with MM (85% vs 92%; p = 0.14). However, in the subgroup who received active treatment for MM, median neutralizing antibody titer was 88% for COVID-19 participants with MM and 35% for vaccinated participants with MM (p = 0.001).

According to the researchers, “Patients with MM and COVID-19 present a superior [neutralizing antibody] response against SARS-CoV-2 compared with fully vaccinated patients with the BNT162b2 vaccine. This finding was more pronounced among patients receiving active treatment for MM.”

—Ellen Kurek

Reference:

Gavriatopoulou M, Terpos E, Malandrakis P, et al. Patients with multiple myeloma and prior COVID-19 have superior antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 compared with fully vaccinated myeloma patients with the BNT162b2 vaccine. Paper presented at: American Society of Hematology’s 2021 Annual Meeting; December 8-14, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, and Virtual. https://ash.confex.com/ash/2021/webprogram/Paper145487.htm