Outcomes of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in 107 patients with cancer from Wuhan, China.
BACKGROUND
Patients with cancer have a higher risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) than noncancer patients. The authors conducted a multicenter retrospective study to investigate the clinical manifestations and outcomes of patients with cancer who are diagnosed with COVID-19.


METHODS
The authors reviewed the medical records of hospitalized patients who were treated at 5 hospitals in Wuhan City, China, between January 5 and March 18, 2020. Clinical parameters relating to cancer history (type and treatment) and COVID-19 were collected. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary analyses were the association between clinical factors and severe COVID-19 and OS.


RESULTS
A total of 107 patients with cancer were diagnosed with COVID-19, with a median age of 66 years (range, 37-98 years). Lung (21 patients; 19.6%), gastrointestinal (20 patients; 18.7%), and genitourinary (20 patients; 18.7%) cancers were the most common cancer diagnoses. A total of 37 patients (34.6%) were receiving active anticancer treatment when diagnosed with COVID-19, whereas 70 patients (65.4%) were on follow-up. Overall, 52.3% of patients (56 patients) developed severe COVID-19; this rate was found to be higher among patients receiving anticancer treatment than those on follow-up (64.9% vs 45.7%), which corresponded to an inferior OS in the former subgroup of patients (hazard ratio, 3.365; 95% CI, 1.455-7.782 [P = .005]). The detrimental effect of anticancer treatment on OS was found to be independent of exposure to systemic therapy (case fatality rate of 33.3% [systemic therapy] vs 43.8% [nonsystemic therapy]).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the current study demonstrated that >50.0% of infected patients with cancer are susceptible to severe COVID-19. This risk is aggravated by simultaneous anticancer treatment and portends for a worse survival, despite treatment for COVID-19.
['Zhang|Hongyan|H|', 'Wang|Linwei|L|', 'Chen|Yuanyuan|Y|', 'Wu|Qiuji|Q|', 'Chen|Gaili|G|', 'Shen|Xiaokun|X|', 'Wang|Qun|Q|', 'Yan|Youqin|Y|', 'Yu|Yi|Y|', 'Zhong|Yahua|Y|', 'Wang|Xinghuan|X|', 'Chua|Melvin L K|MLK|0000-0002-1648-1473', 'Xie|Conghua|C|0000-0001-6623-9864']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000970:Antineoplastic Agents D000998:Antiviral Agents D000073640:Betacoronavirus D000086382:COVID-19 D002681:China D018352:Coronavirus Infections D005260:Female D006801:Humans D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous D015994:Incidence D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009369:Neoplasms D058873:Pandemics D011024:Pneumonia, Viral D012189:Retrospective Studies D012306:Risk D000086402:SARS-CoV-2 D012720:Severity of Illness Index D013256:Steroids D015996:Survival Rate D016896:Treatment Outcome
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cancer anticancer treatment systemic therapy case fatality rate