Clinical features in cancer patients with COVID-19 in Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

During the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, cancer patients haverepresented a high-risk population. We aimed to describe the clinicalcharacteristics of patients with cancer and COVID-19 in the cities ofSanta Fe and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and to compare the clinical evolution of cancer and non-cancer patients with severe COVID-19. Weconducted a retrospective, hospital-based study involving 79 patientswith laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathological diagnosis of a malignant tumor. We then performed a case-control comparison of 16 cancer patients with severe COVID-19 and 32 sex- andage-matched non-cancer patients with severe COVID-19. Among the79 cancer patients with COVID-19, 56.4% were female and the medianage was 65 years. We found that mortality was significantly associatedwith dyspnea, severe pneumonia, the presentation of one or morecomplications during the COVID-19 infection, ICU admission, the percentage of of neutrophils and the percentage of lymphocytes. Besides,having dyspnea and severe pneumonia, being admitted to the ICU andreceive respiratory assistance significantly increased the probabilitiesof death. The case-control study showed that having cancer increased5.4 times the probabilities of dying from severe COVID-19. Consideringthese results, it should be a priority that cancer patients with COVID-19infection receive regular screening and preventive therapies.