medwireNews: A pooled analysis has confirmed the high mortality rate among adults with cancer and comorbid COVID-19.
Of the 18,650 patients included in the analysis, 4243 died, giving a case fatality rate of 25.6%, report Evandro de Azambuja (Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium) and co-researchers in the European Journal of Cancer.
They therefore believe that “[a]ppropriate and aggressive preventive measures must be taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in patients with cancer, and to optimally manage those who do contract the infection.”
de Azambuja and colleagues pooled data from 52 studies – reported in journals, at conferences, or as preprints up to 16 July 2020 – that included at least 10 adult patients with solid or hematologic tumors and a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The I2 values for both the main analysis and a sensitivity analysis that excluded studies with fewer than 100 participants were below the threshold of 50.0% that indicated “substantial heterogeneity,” at 48.9% and 49.7%, respectively.
These findings “clearly show that the mortality is high among patients with cancer and COVID-19, and [that cancer] should be considered as an independent risk factor, in addition to older age, male sex, black race, current smoker, [and] other co-morbidities,” conclude the researchers.
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2020 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group
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