People diagnosed with cancer more than 24 months ago are more likely to get severe COVID-19 infection, according to researchers.
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For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology, the researchers analysed the case of 156 cancer patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in London. "Our findings provide the first insight into the possible effects of cancer and its treatments on COVID-19 outcomes," said study researcher Mieke Van Hemelrijck from King's College London, the UK. Advanced statistical methods were employed to identify which demographic or clinical characteristics were associated with COVID-19 severity or death.
Patient follow-ups, conducted 37 days later, found 22 percent patients from the cohort died from COVID-19 infection. Patients of the Asian ethnicity and those diagnosed with cancer over 24 months before the onset of COVID-19 symptoms were at higher risk. Patients with dyspnoea (shortness of breath) or high CRP levels (a common blood marker of inflammation) were also at higher risk from COVID-19. Severe COVID-19 infection was associated with fever, dyspnoea, gastro-intestinal symptoms or those with cancer.
Hypertension was the most reported co-morbidity followed by diabetes, renal impairment and cardiovascular disease. The most common tumour types were urological/gynaecological (29 percent), haematological (18 percent) and breast (15 percent). When classified according to the COVID-19 severity, the largest proportion of cancers were haematological (36 percent). While 40 percent patients had stage IV cancer, 46 percent patients had been diagnosed with a malignancy in the last 12 months. "Large studies with detailed information on COVID-19 safety measures and oncological care are warranted to explore the intersection of COVID-19 and cancer in terms of clinical outcomes," Hemelrijck said.