Between March 1 and May 21, 2020, during the first wave of covid-19, 1162 patients were included in a multicenter observational study called ONCOVID-19 launched by the Léon Bérard Center in Lyon (the center for the fight against cancer of Lyon and Rhône-Alpes). This study was intended to measure the impact of the virus on the health status of patients undergoing cancer treatment. “En the midst of a health crisis, it was urgent to understand the effects of this new virus on cancer patients in order to protect them and in particular to be able to maintain cancer treatments in these fragile patients” explains Dr Souad Assaad, internist and onco-hematologist.
97% of patients required hospitalization
A total of 18 cancer centers and 5 French hospitals took part in this collaborative work based on the data collected. All patients included in the study had cancer and presented symptoms suggestive of covid, whether or not they were positive for the disease. Among them, 36.6% were positive for coronavirus (positive PCR test and/or characteristic radiological images) and 63.4% were negative.
The first results, published in the in the British Journal of Cancer, show that cancer patients are more fragile when affected by covid-19 and present a greater and earlier risk of mortality. Indeed, 27.8% of patients who tested positive died within 28 days of diagnosis, compared to 16.3% of patients who tested negative. In addition, nearly 97% of covid-positive patients required hospitalization for this disease.
“The ONCOVID-19 study has therefore highlighted the fact that patients with cancer and showing symptoms of covid must be carefully monitored,” said Professor Jean-Yves Blay, Director General of the Léon Bérard Center, at the initiative. of this work.
Covid-19 and cancer: the main risk factors
The researchers identified the factors associated with a higher mortality risk in cancer patients who are COVID-19 positive, namely:
- the male sex
- metastatic status
- lymphopenia (lymphocyte deficiency or immune deficiency)
- a history of inflammatory or autoimmune disease requiring immunosuppressive treatments.
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