ABSTRACT
Background: Limited information exists regarding the severity of short-term outcomes among patients with gynecologic cancer who are infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Patients with gynecologic cancer and laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified from the international CCC19 registry. We estimated odds ratios (OR) from ordinal logistic regression for associations with severity of COVID-19 outcomes, defined from least to most severe as hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admittance, mechanical ventilation, and 30-day mortality. Results: Of 842 patients identified, 48% had endometrial cancer, 24% had ovarian cancer, 22% had cervical cancer, and 6% had dual primary/other gynecologic cancers. The majority were from the United States (86%), most were non-Hispanic White (46%), and the median age was 62 years (IQR 52-72). The majority were diagnosed with localized disease (68%);only 18 (2%) and 15 (2%) were fully or partially vaccinated, respectively. In the 3 months prior to COVID-19, 36% had any cancer treatment, with chemotherapy the most common (23%). When diagnosed with COVID-19, most patients were in remission (50%), while 37% had active disease, including 22% with metastatic disease. Most patients presented with typical COVID-19 symptoms (76%);few had a poor ECOG performance status (PS ≥2, 14%). Outcomes included hospitalization (50%), ICU admittance (12%), mechanical ventilation (8%), and death within 30 days of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (10%). In unadjusted models, increasing age (OR: 1.03 1.02-1.04) and Black race (OR 1.91, 1.31-2.77) were associated with increased severity of COVID-19 outcomes. Compared to patients in remission for ≥5 years, those with progressive disease had increased severity (OR 1.88, 1.25-2.82), while those in remission for < 5 years or with stable disease had decreased severity of COVID-19 outcomes (OR 0.55, 0.39-0.76). In multivariable models that included adjustment for age, race, and cancer status, additional factors associated with increased COVID-19 outcome severity included cardiac (OR 1.57, 1.13-2.19) and renal (OR 2.00, 1.33-3.00) comorbidities, an ECOG PS ≥2 (OR 5.15, 3.21-8.27), having pneumonia or pneumonitis (OR 4.08, 2.94-5.66), venous thromboembolism (OR 4.67, 2.49-8.75), sepsis (OR 14.2, 9.05-22.1), or a co-infection within ±2 weeks of SARS-CoV-2 (OR: 4.40, 2.91-6.65);asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with decreased severity of outcomes (OR: 0.25, 0.16-0.38). The overall case fatality rate was 15.7%. Conclusions: Patients with gynecologic cancer experience significant morbidity and mortality related to infection with SARS-CoV-2. Age, race, cancer status, co-morbidities, and COVID-19 complications were associated with more severe COVID-19 outcomes, along the continuum from least to most, of hospitalization, ICU admittance, mechanical ventilation, and 30-day mortality.
ABSTRACT
Background: In-hospital mortality among patients with cancer (pts) and COVID-19 infection is high. The frequency of, and factors associated with, donot- resuscitate (DNR) or do-not-intubate (DNI) orders at hospital admission (HA), and their correlation with care, has not been well studied. In November 2020, we began collecting this information for pts who were hospitalized at initial presentation in the CCC19 registry (NCT04354701). Methods: We investigated: 1. the frequency of, and factors associated with, DNR/DNI orders at HA;2. change in code status during HA;and 3. the correlation between DNR/DNI orders and palliative care consultation (PC), mortality or length of stay (LOS). We included hospitalized, adult pts with cancer and COVID-19 from 57 participating sites. Reported characteristics include age, ECOG performance status (PS), and cancer status. Comparative statistics include 2-sided Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests. Results: 744 pts had known baseline and/or changed code status (CS);most (79%) maintained their baseline CS (Table). Those with DNR±DNI orders at HA were older (median age 79 vs 69 yrs, p<0.001) and more likely to have: ECOG PS 2+ vs 0-1 (45% vs 22%, OR 3.95, p<0.001), metastatic disease (45% vs 35%, OR 1.72, p=0.005) and progressing cancer (32% vs 16%, OR 2.69, p<0.001), but equally likely to have received systemic anticancer therapy in the prior 3 months (38% vs 45%, p=0.15). N=192 pts with a change in CS from full to DNR±DNI were younger (median age 73), had better PS (37% ECOG PS 2+), and were less likely to have progressing cancer (23%) than those with DNR±DNI orders at baseline. However, their LOS was significantly longer, median 9 vs 6 days, p<0.001. Compared to those with DNR±DNI orders at HA, pts whose CS changed to DNR±DNI were more likely to die, OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.76-4.97, p<0.001. PC was obtained in 106 (14%) pts and associated with transition to DNR±DNI in 47 (44%), affirmation of admission CS in 58 (55%), and reversal in 1 (1%). Median LOS for pts receiving PC was 11 vs 6 days, p<0.001. Conclusions: In our sample, the majority of patients with cancer and COVID-19 were full code at hospital admission. DNR±DNI status, whether at baseline or assigned during the hospital course, was associated with worse prognosis. Longer length of stay for patients changing code status and/or receiving palliative care consultation was observed likely suggesting earlier palliative care consultation is an important, but likely underutilized component in the care of patients with cancer and COVID-19. (Table Presented).