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Results of a large systematic review and meta-analysis show that people with cancer have a significantly greater risk for death from SARS-CoV-2 infection than their cancer-free peers, particularly if they have lung or hematologic cancer.

Individuals with hematologic cancers also had significantly worse outcomes than those with nonmetastatic solid tumors, at ORs of 1.72, 1.44, 1.42, and 1.29 for mortality, hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and ICU stays, respectively.

The most common malignancies were gastrointestinal (33.4%), breast (22.5%), lung (16.0%), genitourinary (15.0%), and gynecologic (8.9%) cancers.

The most common tumor type in the cohort was breast cancer (23.4%), followed by genitourinary and gynecologic cancers (19.3%).

At the time of approval, 6% of FDA indications and 9% of EMA indications met the ASCO-VF QoL bonus criteria, and 7% and 11%, respectively, met the ESMO-MCBS criteria, which excludes hematologic malignancies.

Half of the cancers occurred in smokers, including all of the patients who developed lung cancer.

medwireNews : The US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has released new and updated non-English translations  of its physician guidelines for several high-incidence cancers.

Albanell said that, “as expected,” the most common adverse events (AEs) associated with palbociclib were hematologic, including grade 3–4 neutropenia (68.1%), leukopenia (26.6%), and lymphopenia (14.9%).