Diminished humoral and cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Researchers investigated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-induced immune responses in patients with CLL, including T cell responses, as well as the impact of various CLL therapies on said immune responses. Patients were enrolled in two cohorts, with 210 patients enrolled at the time of initial vaccination and 117 enrolled at the time of booster vaccination. Those patients receiving B-cell-directed therapy were less likely to seroconvert (OR, 0.27; 95% CI: 0.15-0.49) when compared to those patients not on therapy. Anti-S titers increased with the administration of booster vaccinations, and positive correlations were observed between quantitative serologic response and CD4 T-cell response for both the Wuhan variant and, to a lesser degree, the Omicron variant of COVID.