The Risk and Prognosis of COVID-19 Infection in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Publication/Presentation Date
6-1-2022
Abstract
Numerous studies have been published regarding outcomes of cancer patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. However, most of these are single-center studies with a limited number of patients. To better assess the outcomes of this new infection in this subgroup of susceptible patients, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 infection on cancer patients. We performed a literature search using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies that reported the risk of infection and complications of COVID-19 in cancer patients and retrieved 22 studies (1018 cancer patients). The analysis showed that the frequency of cancer among patients with confirmed COVID-19 was 2.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-3) in the overall cohort. These patients had a mortality of 21.1% (95% CI: 14.7-27.6), severe/critical disease rate of 45.4% (95% CI: 37.4-53.3), intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate of 14.5% (95% CI: 8.5-20.4), and mechanical ventilation rate of 11.7% (95% CI: 5.5-18). The double-arm analysis showed that cancer patients had a higher risk of mortality (odds ratio [OR]=3.23, 95% CI: 1.71-6.13), severe/critical disease (OR=3.91, 95% CI: 2.70-5.67), ICU admission (OR=3.10, 95% CI: 1.85-5.17), and mechanical ventilation (OR=4.86, 95% CI: 1.27-18.65) than non-cancer patients. Furthermore, cancer patients had significantly lower platelet levels and higher D-dimer levels, C-reactive protein levels, and prothrombin time. In conclusion, these results indicate that cancer patients are at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection-related complications. Therefore, cancer patients need diligent preventive care measures and aggressive surveillance for earlier detection of COVID-19 infection.
Volume
15
Issue
2
First Page
45
Last Page
53
ISSN
2589-0646
Published In/Presented At
ElGohary, G. M., Hashmi, S., Styczynski, J., Kharfan-Dabaja, M. A., Alblooshi, R. M., de la Cámara, R., Mohmed, S., Alshaibani, A., Cesaro, S., Abd El-Aziz, N., Almaghrabi, R., Gergis, U., Majhail, N. S., El-Gohary, Y., Chemaly, R. F., Aljurf, M., & El Fakih, R. (2022). The Risk and Prognosis of COVID-19 Infection in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Hematology/oncology and stem cell therapy, 15(2), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hemonc.2020.07.005
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
32745466
Department(s)
Department of Medicine, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute
Document Type
Article