ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: This study assesses the risk of infection and clinical outcomes in a large consecutive population of cancer and non-cancer patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 status. METHODS: Study patients underwent SARS-CoV-2 molecular-testing between 22 February 2020 and 31 July 2020, and were found infected (CoV2+ve) or uninfected. History of malignancy was obtained from regional population-based cancer registries. Cancer-patients were distinguished by time between cancer diagnosis and SARS-CoV-2 testing (<12/⩾12 months). Comorbidities, hospitalization, and death at 15 September 2020 were retrieved from regional population-based databases. The impact of cancer history on SARS-CoV-2 infection and clinical outcomes was calculated by fitting a multivariable logistic regression model, adjusting for sex, age, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Among 552,362 individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2, 55,206 (10.0%) were cancer-patients and 22,564 (4.1%) tested CoV2+ve. Irrespective of time since cancer diagnosis, SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower among cancer patients (1,787; 3.2%) than non-cancer individuals (20,777; 4.2% - Odds Ratio (OR)=0.60; 0.57-0.63). CoV2+ve cancer-patients were older than non-cancer individuals (median age: 77 versus 57 years; p<0.0001), were more frequently men and with comorbidities. Hospitalizations (39.9% versus 22.5%; OR=1.61; 1.44-1.80) and deaths (24.3% versus 9.7%; OR=1.51; 1.32-1.72) were more frequent in cancer-patients. CoV2+ve cancer-patients were at higher risk of death (lung OR=2.90; 1.58-5.24, blood OR=2.73; 1.88-3.93, breast OR=1.77; 1.32-2.35). CONCLUSIONS: The risks of hospitalization and death are significantly higher in CoV2+ve individuals with past or present cancer (particularly malignancies of the lung, hematologic or breast) than in those with no history of cancer.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It is well established that cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at particularly elevated risk of adverse outcomes, but the comparison of SARS-CoV-2 infection risk between cancer patients and cancer-free individuals has been poorly investigated on a population-basis. METHODS: A population-based study was thus conducted in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, northeastern Italy, to estimate prevalence and determinants of SARS-CoV-2 infection among cancer patients, as compared to cancer-free individuals, and to evaluate adverse outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study included 263,042 individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 in February-December 2020 with cancer history retrieved through the regional cancer registry. Odds ratios (ORs) of SARS-CoV-2 positivity, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated using multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for sex and age. Hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for sex and age for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and all-cause death were estimated using Cox models. RESULTS: Among 26,394 cancer patients tested for SARS-CoV-2, the prevalence of infection was 11.7% versus 16.2% among 236,648 cancer-free individuals, with a corresponding OR = 0.59 (95% CI: 0.57-0.62). The prevalence was much higher (29% in both groups) during the second pandemic wave (October-December 2020). Among cancer patients, age ≥80 years and cancer diagnosis ≥13 months before SARS-CoV-2 testing were the major risk factors of infection. Among 3098 infected cancer patients, the fatality rate was 17.4% versus 15.8% among 23,296 negative ones (HR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.49-1.78), and versus 5.0% among 38,268 infected cancer-free individuals (HR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.12-1.36). No significant differences emerged when considering ICU admission risk. CONCLUSION: Albeit cancer patients reported reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection risk, those infected showed higher mortality than uninfected ones and infected cancer-free population. Study findings claim for continuing to protect cancer patients from SARS-CoV-2, without reducing the level of oncologic care.