“People with active cancer should take precautions against getting COVID-19, including vaccination, but need not avoid therapy for cancer,” said senior author Daniel Becker, MD.
‘People with an active cancer diagnosis are 34.3% more likely to die from COVID-19. Blood cancer patients are the ones at greatest risk.’
Impact of cancer on COVID-19 mortality
The study team sought to evaluate the risk of mortality due to COVID-19 in cancer patients. The records of 4,184 hospitalized patients from NYU Langone Medical Centre were screened to know whether cancer or cancer treatment could increase the chance of mortality due to COVID-19. The records included details of 233 patients with a current or “active” cancer diagnosis.
On analyzing the records, the team found that,
People with an active cancer diagnosis (34.3 %) were more likely to die from COVID-19 than those with previous cancer history (27.6 %) and without any cancer history (20.0%).
Hematologic cancer patients are more likely to die by COVID-19.
There is no evidence of increased risk for cancer patients who received cancer therapy within three months before hospitalization .
The type of cancer treatment did not affect COVID-19 mortality.
“We completed a large chart review-based study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and found that patients with active cancer, but not a history of cancer, were more likely to die. Notably, however, among those hospitalized with active cancer and COVID-19, recent cancer therapy was not associated with worse outcomes,” concluded Daniel.
The findings of the study were published in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Source: Medindia
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