ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who have underlying malignancy have a higher mortality rate compared with those without cancer, although the magnitude of such excess risk is not clearly defined. We performed a systematic review and pooled analysis to provide precise estimates of the mortality rate among patients with both cancer and COVID-19. METHODS: A systematic literature search involving peer-reviewed publications, preprints and conference proceedings up to July 16, 2020, was performed. The primary end-point was the case fatality rate (CFR), defined as the rate of death among patients with cancer and COVID-19. The CFR was assessed with a random effects model, which was used to derive a pooled CFR and its 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Fifty-two studies, involving a total of 18,650 patients with both COVID-19 and cancer, were selected for the pooled analysis. A total of 4243 deaths were recorded in this population. The probability of death was 25.6% (95% CI: 22.0%-29.5%; I2 = 48.9%) in this patient population. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cancer who develop COVID-19 have high probability of mortality. Appropriate and aggressive preventive measures must be taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in patients with cancer and to optimally manage those who do contract the infection.
Subject(s)
Betacoronavirus/isolation & purification , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Coronavirus Infections/mortality , Neoplasms/mortality , Neoplasms/virology , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/mortality , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/virology , Humans , Neoplasms/epidemiology , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , Prognosis , SARS-CoV-2 , Survival RateABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on patients with underlying malignancy. In this article, we summarize emerging data related to patients with cancer and COVID-19. Among patients with COVID-19, a higher proportion have an underlying diagnosis of cancer than seen in the general population. Also, patients with malignancy are likely to be more vulnerable than the general population to contracting COVID-19. Mortality is significantly higher in patients with both cancer and COVID-19 compared with the overall COVID-19-positive population. The early months of the pandemic saw a decrease in cancer screening and diagnosis, as well as postponement of standard treatments, which could lead to excess deaths from cancer in the future.
ABSTRACT
Three cardinal manifestations of neoplasia, namely inflammation, immune dysfunction, and coagulopathy are also seen in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing a biological rationale for testing selected anticancer drugs for their ability to control the symptoms and/or modify the course of COVID-19.