Risk of death high for Covid patients with cancer: Study

According to Lancet, the global medical journal, cancer patients affected with COVID-19 face a higher risk of death than people with no medical conditions.

New Delhi:Cancer patients affected with COVID-19 are twice as likely than the general patient population to die or become severely ill from the pandemic, said a recent study report of Lancet, the global medical journal.

The study led by the COVID-19 & Cancer Consortium (CCC19), which includes the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Centre (HICCC) also found that patients with cancer who have a higher fitness level and few underlying conditions can and should proceed with appropriate anti-cancer treatment.

"Those with poor fitness health or progressing cancer need to carefully consider-with their treating oncologist-whether the benefits outweigh the risk for continuing anti-cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic," the study said.

The overall rate of complications for this cohort was high, regardless of whether the patients the had active cancer, were undergoing treatment for their cancer, or both. The ongoing study is being led by a consortium of more than 100 participating institutions and identified potential predictive factors for mortality and severe illness.

The researchers collected de-identified data on COVID-19 patients with active cancer or prior cancer, aged 18 years and older, from the period between March 17 and April 16, 2020. Data was generated from participating institutions in the US, Canada and Spain.

The study analysed data of 928 international cancer patients with COVID-19 and found the 30-day all-cause mortality was 13 per cent, more than double the mortality reported as the global average.

"Patients with advanced cancer had a fivefold relative risk of dying within 30 days, compared to those in recession," the study said.

It also suggested that cancer patients who were male, were former smokers, above 66 years old, and who had two or more comorbidities were at a higher risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID-19.

This has much more significance in connection with the COVID-19 death cases in India. The country till Thursday has reported 47033 deaths due to COVID-19.

The Health Ministry has said that over 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to co-morbidities.

The CCC19, however, began as a grassroots efforts to fill an unmet need generated by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Through social media and other communication networks, over 100 institutions have been mobilised to capture widely needed data regarding outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with cancer.

The first analysis of the CCC19 database focuses on important and previously recognised cancer and COVID-19 prognostic factors to provide urgently needed information on the scope, clinical management, and outcomes of patients with cancer and a diagnosis of COVID-19.