DOI: 10.1002/jha2.70442 ISSN: 2688-6146
Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir and Subsequent PCR Negativity in Patients With B‐Cell Lymphoma and Prolonged SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR Positivity: A Case Series
Yutaka Natori, Hideyoshi Noji, Akiko Shichishima‐Nakamura, Satoru Kikuchi, Shigehira SajiABSTRACT
Prolonged SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR positivity is increasingly recognized in immunocompromised patients. We retrospectively analyzed four patients with B‐cell lymphoma and prior anti‐CD20 antibody therapy who exhibited prolonged PCR positivity after COVID‐19 diagnosis. The median duration of PCR positivity was 57 days (range, 47–78 days); lymphoma treatment was interrupted in one patient and could not be resumed in another. Three patients received nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and became PCR negative 5–14 days after treatment initiation. These findings suggest that prolonged SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR positivity may disrupt lymphoma treatment and that PCR negativity was observed shortly after nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment in selected patients.