Table 4.

Recommendations for management of MM patients in the era of a global COVID-19 pandemic

Recommendations for management of MM patients in the COVID-19 era
• Measures to prevent contracting COVID-19 including social distancing, wearing masks, and personal hygiene are critically important for MM patients
• COVID-19 PCR testing should be considered once in all newly diagnosed MM patients before starting therapy and also in patients prior to high-dose or cellular therapies; however, the testing of other MM patients as well as the frequency of repeat testing should be guided by symptoms and prevalence of COVID-19 in the environs
• MM patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and having any of the following characteristics: age >60 y, high-risk cytogenetics, active disease or PD, or renal disease should be monitored more closely for COVID-19 complications
• Currently, there are no data to support avoiding any specific MM treatments, including corticosteroids and high-dose therapy; this is particularly important in those patients with active disease or PD
• The risk/benefit of MM therapy should be weighed against an individual’s risk factors for COVID-19 complications and the prevalence of COVID-19 at a given time
o Young patients, especially those with high-risk and/or active MM, should receive optimal MM therapies to control their disease
o MM disease control is also important for elderly patients; however, consideration should be given to using regimens that result in decreased frequency of office visits to decrease the risk of COVID-19 exposure
• Data regarding the safety of continuing MM therapy in COVID-19 PCR+ patients are lacking; as with any MM patient with an active infection, the risks/benefit of MM therapy must be weighed carefully, and consideration should be given to at least ensuring clinical stability