ABSTRACT
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic afects everyday life, hospital infrastructures and cancer care worldwide and in Germany. While current infection rates nationwide are decreasing, a continuous long-term infection rate is expected until vaccine development. First data from China suggested that cancer patients are particularly susceptible and at higher risk of a severe course of the disease. Despite more data being available now, many open questions remain regarding the course of COVID-19 in cancer patients and the impact of cancer treatment. To prospectively address these questions, we initiated a multicentric, observational trial including cancer patients with COVID-19 in the Hamburg metropolitan region and parts of Schleswig-Holstein. Method(s): Patients with diagnosis of cancer and COVID-19, who were treated in the University Cancer Center Hamburg (UCCH), its contracted partner network or at the University Cancer Centers Kiel and Lubeck are included into the trial, which was initiated in April 2020. Data are collected as available from routine clinical care and include demographic and biometric data, medical history, baseline infection data at inclusion as well as inpatient and intensive care unit admissions. Upon consent, patients provide peripheral blood samples for a prospective biobanking with the aim of investigating immune response, immunity and predictive outcome markers. Recruitment is planned for a one-year period. Result(s): As of June 30th 2020, 17 patients of which 13 were male were included afer signing informed consent. Median age was 64 years. 12 of the 17 patients had hematologic disease, mostly acute leukemia. Two patients had solid tumors and three patients had both hematologic and solid malignancy. In 71 % of included patients COVID-infection was diagnosed while being hospitalized due to their oncologic disease. Five patients required mechanical ventilation in the course of disease, one patient died due to the infection. Updated data will be presented at the meeting. Conclusion(s): The prospective registrational COVIDHELP trial will continuously include patients with malignant diseases and COVID-19 during the current pandemic. Our analysis will help to better understand the clinical course, potential impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors as well as immune response to COVID-19 infection in cancer patients and thus facilitate clinical decision making concerning therapy discontinuation and identifcation of subgroups at specific risk.