Be Vigilant for COVID-19 in Patients with Cancer; They’re at Greater Risk for Infection and Severe Disease

We know that immunocompromised patients are at increased risk for all manner of infection, including COVID-19. We also know that patients with cancer fall under that broad umbrella. However, new research indicates that cancer patients, specifically, are at greater risk for infection and subsequent mortality due to the virus. This phenomenon seems to be especially prevalent in those recently diagnosed with leukemia, lung cancer, and non–Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a study just published in JAMA Oncology. The authors based their conclusions on analysis of electronic health records of 73.4 million patients from 360 hospitals in the U.S. Of those patients, 16,570 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19—with 1,200 also having a cancer diagnosis (a rate of 7.2%). Those who had received their cancer diagnosis within the previous year had the highest rate of infection with COVID-19. Individuals with both cancer and COVID-19 also had a higher hospitalization rate (47%) than patients with COVID-19 but no cancer (24%). The difference in death rates was even more pronounced: 15% for patients with both diagnoses vs 5% for those who “only” had COVID-19. JUCM published an article on the special considerations required when patients with cancer present to an urgent care center. It appeared prior to the advent of COVID-19, but it could offer helpful insights. You can read An Urgent Care Approach to Malignancy Complications in our archive.