INTRODUCTION
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has unique implications
for the growing cohort of survivors of childhood cancer and
hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for non-malignant
hematologic/immune disorders,1,2 referred to herein as
“survivors.” Investigators have postulated that history of underlying
immune dysfunction and/or organ injury due to prior therapeutic
exposures increase survivors’ risk of contracting severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and/or increased
severity of COVID-19.3,4,5 Using the Childhood Cancer
Survivor Study (CCSS) cohort, Perkins et. al previously found an
increased incidence of overall infections and a higher risk of
infection-related mortality among survivors of childhood cancer as
compared to unaffected siblings for at least 35 years after
therapy.6 Whether these infectious risk findings can
be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic and inform guidelines for childhood
cancer survivors as they return to school or work is
unknown.5 In an effort to fill this gap, we assessed
reported COVID-19 symptoms, exposures, and/or hospitalization, as well
as SARS-CoV-2 IgG status, in a cohort of pediatric survivors presenting
for routine long-term follow-up (LTFU) either in-person or virtually in
the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, one of the
original epicenters of the pandemic.