Active malignancy during COVID-19 infection not associated with increased risk of ICU admission, intubation, or death

1. There was no significantly increased risk of ICU admission, intubation, or death among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and active malignancy compared with a matched cohort of patients with COVID-19 and no malignancy.

Evidence Level Rating: 2 (Good)

Some institutions in the U.S. have reported higher rates of COIVD-related complications and death among patients with cancer. These studies have, in general, been limited. This has important implications, though; based on these data, the care of some patients with cancer has been altered, delayed, or even compromised. Therefore, the purpose of this matched cohort study was to examine morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 among patients with cancer compared with those without. The primary outcome was a composite outcome consisting of ICU admission, intubation, and death. Included were a total of 585 adult patients, grouped into 117 patients with active malignancy (median [IQR] age = 72.5 [64.2-79.9] years, 54.7% male) and 468 patients without malignancy (median [IQR] age = 71.2 [62.1-79.6] years, 54.7% male). There were 29 deaths among patients in the cancer cohort compared with 100 deaths among patients in the non-cancer cohort (p = 0.894). There was no significant different in the primary outcome among patients with or without cancer. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the primary outcome between hematologic or solid malignancies (p = 0.283). Additionally, there was no difference in outcome if patients received cytotoxic therapy within 90 days of admission (p = 0.446). In all, this study found no significant difference in the risk of ICU admission, intubation, or death among patients hospitalized for COVID-19 with and without active malignancy. This suggests that in the context of a robust, patient-centered discussion concerning risks and benefits, anticancer therapy may be able to be safely delivered or continue to be delivered to patients with COVID-19.

Click to read the study in JCO

Image: PD

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