Cancer Patients, Survivors ‘At-Risk Population’ For COVID-19

Author: By Lynda Williams, Senior medwireNews Reporter 

medwireNews: COVID-19 has a higher prevalence among cancer patients and cancer survivors than the general population, suggest the findings of a meta-analysis published in a letter to JCO Global Oncology. 

Following preliminary data from China indicating that cancer patients may be at higher risk of COVID-19 and associated severe events than other individuals, Aakash Desai, from the University of Connecticut in Farmington, USA, and co-authors looked for other reports on the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and COVID-19 in cancer patients. 

The team identified 11 articles published up to 14 March 2020 that each included data for at least 10 hospitalised cancer patients with COVID-19, giving a pooled prevalence of COVID-19 of 2.0%. The pooled prevalence was also 2.0% when analysing only the six studies with more than 100 patients, but rose to 3.0% when assessing the five studies with fewer patients. 

The authors admit that their findings are “potentially limited by the retrospective nature of the studies used” and that “current evidence on the association between cancer and COVID-19 remains inconclusive.” 

Nevertheless, the team believes that patients with current cancer and cancer survivors may be “an important at-risk population for COVID-19” and highlights unanswered questions on providing optimal care to protect patients against SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as whether treatment should be intentionally delayed for those with stable disease and if stronger use of personal protective equipment should be advised.  

Aakash Desai et al emphasize that “no evidence or recommendations exist regarding holding chemotherapy or immunotherapy or delaying adjuvant therapy or radiotherapy treatment in cancer patients”, adding that there are no data to suggest “an increased risk of pneumonitis in patients receiving immunotherapy or radiotherapy.” 

Reference  

Desai A, Sachdeva S, Parekh T, Desai R. COVID-19 and cancer: Lessons from a pooled meta-analysis. JCO Glob Oncol; Advance online publication 6 April 2020. doi:10.1200/GO.20.00097