Awareness • 26/11/2025

Secondary Immunodeficiencies and the challenge of early recognition

#BetterOutcomesforPatients

“Behind a SID patient, there may be an undiagnosed PID patient. If we address SID in a better way — fostering collaboration between hematologists and immunologists — we may also improve the diagnosis of PID.”

Martine Pergent, International Patient Organization for Primary Immunodeficiencies (IPOPI)

Secondary Immunodeficiencies (SIDs) represent a growing area of attention for clinicians managing patients with hematologic malignancies. Reduced antibody production, increased susceptibility to infections and the impact of cancer therapies make early identification and monitoring critical.

Martine Pergent, President of IPOPI, highlights that a proportion of SID patients may be living with an undiagnosed primary immunodeficiency (PID) — a possibility that reinforces the need for stronger collaboration between specialties.

She also notes that SIDs are still too often seen merely as consequences of cancer or its treatments, rather than clinical conditions requiring dedicated assessment.

Prof. Hermann Wolf underscores how awareness of SIDs, although improving, remains limited among treating physicians.

“Awareness for secondary immunodeficiencies is much lower than for primary immunodeficiencies. It has improved over the last years, but there is still work to do.”

Prof. Hermann Wolf, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna

He explains that gathering more data on the immunologic phenotype of these patients will be crucial to identifying who needs infection prophylaxis and to refining diagnostic pathways.

Dr. Federica Pulvirenti describes how evolving therapeutic options allow clinicians to better tailor care to SID patients, who often face complex health profiles due to age, comorbidities and ongoing oncologic treatments.

“We are now in a new era in which we can select the best option for each patient to mitigate the burden of treatment. This is especially important for SID patients, who are often older, have comorbidities and may still be undergoing therapy for their cancer.”

Dr. Federica Pulvirenti, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome

Together, these perspectives stress a shared priority: improving early recognition of SID and strengthening immunology–hematology collaboration to support better patient outcomes and continuity of care.

Kedrion remains committed to supporting clinicians and advancing knowledge in immune-related conditions. In line with this commitment, the company recently supported a symposium on Secondary Immunodeficiencies during IPIC 2025 — a concise but meaningful initiative aimed at fostering dialogue and shared approaches for patients facing complex immune challenges.