SARS-CoV-2 infection rate ‘higher in people with cancer’
Frequent hospital visits, rather than chemotherapy, are the problem, say Chinese doctors
The SARS-CoV-2 infection rate appears to be more than twice as high in patients with cancer as in the general population, according to data from Wuhan, China.
“Cancer patients are an at-risk population overall, and there will be an impact on long-term cancer control outcomes due to this pandemic,” said Dr Chua Melvin, from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei.
Dr Chua and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 1524 patients with cancer who presented to Zhongnan Hospital and found that 12 (0.8%) had been infected with SARS-CoV-2.
By comparison, the cumulative incidence of all diagnosed COVID-19 cases reported in the city of Wuhan over the same time period was 0.4%.
