Patients with cancer ‘at greater risk’ of poor COVID-19 outcomes

US researchers say patients with active cancer are more at risk than those in remission
Reuters Health Staff writer
coronavirus particles

Patients with active cancers and those in remission face significantly higher risk of severe COVID-19 compared to those without cancer, a study shows.

An analysis of medical records from 323 patients who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus revealed that among the 67 with a history of cancer, there were higher rates of hospitalisation and 30-day mortality related to COVID-19, researchers reported in JNCI Cancer Spectrum.

Compared to patients without cancer, a cancer diagnosis was associated with double the odds of hospitalisation and nearly six times the odds of 30-day mortality after adjustment for a range of potential confounders.

In a subgroup analysis by cancer status, (active versus remission) adjusted associations with hospitalisation, ICU admission and 30-day mortality were strongest in the patients with active cancer versus those without the disease which suggested that the association between cancer diagnosis and poor COVID-19 outcomes was primarily driven by active cancer.