Cancer patients are more fragile when affected by Covid-19, as they present a greater and earlier risk of mortality.
- There were 6.3 million new cases of cancer in 2020 worldwide.
- Since the start of the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in France, 36,213,362 people have received at least one injection (i.e. 53.7% of the total population) and 28,438,478 people now have a complete vaccination schedule (i.e. 42.2% of the total population).
Patients with Covid-19 undergoing cancer treatment are more fragile and have an increased risk of death. These are the main results of the ONCOVID-19 multicentre observational study promoted by the Léon Bérard Center and published on June 16, 2021 in the British Journal of Cancer.
More fragile patients
Between 1er March and May 21, 2020, 1,162 patients were included in the study, intended to measure the impact of Covid-19 on the health status of patients undergoing cancer treatment. A total of 18 cancer centers and 5 French hospitals took part in this collaborative work based on the data collected.
Research shows that cancer patients are more vulnerable when affected by Covid-19, as they are at greater and earlier risk of mortality. In effect, 27.8% of patients who tested positive died within 28 days of being diagnosed with Covid-19, compared to 16.3% of patients who tested negative.
More monitoring
“The ONCOVID-19 study has therefore highlighted the fact that cancer patients with symptoms of Covid-19 disease, whether or not they test positive, should be carefully monitored”explains the Pr Jean-Yves Blay, Director General of the Center Léon Bérard.
The study also identified factors associated with a higher risk of mortality in patients with cancer and positive for Covid-19, namely: male gender, metastatic status, lymphopenia (lymphocyte deficiency or immune deficiency), and history of inflammatory or autoimmune disease requiring immunosuppressive therapy.
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