Abstract 1573P
Background
Cancer patients are one of the most affected by the current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Social inequalities influence the incidence rate of this disease, as we have seen in the high incidence in our center. In our study, we asked whether the last covid-19 treatment advances, the capacity for restructuring the health centers and their non-saturation, influences the cancer patients outcomes.
Methods
Retrospective review of 189 cancer patients diagnosed in our center with COVID-19 from March 5, 2020 to February 28, 2021. Study data was collected and managed using REDCap.
We compared COVID-19 diagnoses in first-wave cancer patients versus the full pandemic period until data cut-off, as well as patient characteristics and mortality rates.
Results
Mortality rate: 55/189 patients during the entire pandemic period vs 40/85 patients in the first wave (p = 0.03). Median age: 72 years (34-95) vs 76 (34-94), 125/189 men in all the period vs 50/85 (p = 0.2). Most frequent histologies: lung cancer (72/189 vs 22/85, p = 0.07), colorectal (31/189 vs 19/85, p = 0.23), breast (24/189 vs 10/85, p = 0.82). Staging: 113/189 metastatic disease at diagnosis of infection vs 32/85 in first wave (p <0.001).
During the 2 subsequent waves in our center, where 104 more patients have been detected, mortality has dropped significantly: from the initial 47% to 14.4% in the rest of the period (40/85 vs 15/104, p <0.001), despite having more metastatic involvement in infected patients.
Conclusions
In our center, one of the worst hit by the coronavirus crisis in Spain, with a supersaturation of almost 250% in the middle of the first wave, we have verified how the knowledge of the behavior of this disease, improvements in its treatment and a multidisciplinary management in Oncology ward have led to a significant decrease in mortality, going from almost 50% in the first wave to less than 15%, despite having suffered the disease during the two subsequent waves a greater number of patients with metastatic disease.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.