# Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care delivery, follow-up and outcomes in chronic myeloid leukemia patients: An observational cohort study

## TL;DR

This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the care and outcomes of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into how pandemic-related disruptions impacted treatment adherence and disease progression in CML patients.

## Key findings

- About 53% of patients showed no hematological response during the pandemic.
- Approximately 34% of patients progressed to a blast crisis phase.
- Loss of follow-up was mainly observed during and after the pandemic due to non-compliance.

## Abstract

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that comprises a chronic phase. Therefore, it is of interest to
evaluate the impact of care delivery and loss of follow-up or defaulted treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the outcome in
known chronic myeloid leukemia patients. Data was retrospectively retrieved and prospectively evaluated from the known and treated CML
patients. A questionnaire was prepared for history. Bone marrow slides stained with Giemsa stain and multi-color flow cytometry were
used for the evaluation of blast type in all blast crisis cases. A total of 961 new CML cases were reported, age range from 21 to 78
years, results were analyzed in three different cohort groups based on their time of diagnosis. Loss of follow-up was noticed mainly
during the COVID-19 period and thereafter because of non-compliance. Data shows that about 53% of cases showed no hematological response
and about 34% transformed into a CML blast crisis phase.