People with cancer backgrounds have a higher risk of complications for Covid-19

Two studies led by IDIAPJGol study the relationship between cancer and Covid-19.

Researchers of the Real-World Epidemiology group of the IDIAPJGol have recently published two new scientific articles investigating the relationship between cancer and Covid-19. The first study the characteristics of more than 300 000 people with Covid-19 and a history of cancer. The second analyzes between cancer and the risk of diagnosis, hospitalization and death related to Covid-19.

The first is a descriptive study that includes data of 366.050 people diagnosed and 119.597 people hospitalized with Covid-19 and cancer background in the United States and Catalunya. The study describes the characteristics of these patients, including their age and sex, cancer types, the presence of other diseases, and complications for Covid-19. In addition, researchers compare this data to 67.743 people with a background of influenza-hospitable cancer before the pandemic. The main findings of the study were that dermatological cancer (such as lymphoma no Hodgkin and leukemia) are more common in people with Covid-19 than in the general population and that cancer and Covid-19 patients have more complications than cancer and flu patients.

The second study was carried out based on data from the first wave of more 4,5 million adults residing in Catalonia, of whom 260.667 (6%) had a prior diagnosis of cancer. Cancer was associated with the risk of diagnosis, hospitalization, and death by Covid-19. In addition, Elena Roel, a researcher for IDIAPJGol and first author of the study, notes that “these associations were stronger in patients with a diagnosis of recent cancer and in patients with dermatological cancer. “For example, the probability of hospitalization with Covid-19 and deaths after hospitalization was 151% and 73% higher, respectively, in people with dermatological cancers compared to people without cancer. The results indicate that “people with cancer backgrounds are a vulnerable group for Covid-19 and must therefore be prioritized in preventative strategies, such as vaccination” adds Talita Duarte Salles, a researcher of IDIAPJGol and the coordinator of the study.

References

Roel E, Pistillo A, Recalde M, et al. Characteristics and Outcomes of Over 300,000 Patients with COVID-19 and History of Cancer in the United States and Spain. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021;30:1884–94. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.epi-21-0266

Roel E, Pistillo A, Recalde M, et al. Cancer and the risk of COVID-19 diagnosis, hospitalisation, and death: a population-based multi-state cohort study including 4,618,377 adults in Catalonia, Spain. Int J Cancer 2021 10.1002/ijc.33846. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33846