Infectious complications during protocol-based therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Aim. To investigate the frequency and features of infectious complications in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) treated at the Order of the Badge of Honour Irkutsk Regional Clinical Hospital (Irkutsk, Russian Federation) from 2012 to 2023. Materials and methods. We reviewed 490 medical records and outpatient charts of patients with CLL followed by haematologists at the hospital during 2012–2023. Four hundred patients received protocol-based chemotherapy (PBC); 202 of them were diagnosed with various infectious complications. These 202 patients were divided into three groups: group 1 – 71 patients who received PBC in 2012–2015; group 2 – 64 patients treated in 2016–2019; group 3 – 67 patients treated in 2020–2023. Results and discussion. The most common infectious complications were bacterial pneumonia (31.7 %), infections of the upper respiratory tract, trachea and bronchi (28 %), urinary-tract infections (11.6 %) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated pneumonias in 2020–2023 (20.7 %). The highest number of infectious events occurred in relapsing patients at the terminal stage of the disease. From 2020 to 2023 the incidence of bacterial pneumonias and infections of the upper respiratory tract, trachea and bronchi decreased, which is attributed to the introduction of targeted drugs that can be administered in day-hospital or outpatient settings. Conclusion. The findings provide new information that can be used to prevent infectious complications during protocol-based therapy for CLL and to develop effective prophylactic measures.