What we know about the new coronavirus infection in cancer patients

The article presents data from a retrospective study of COVID-19 outcomes in cancer patients from 24 regions of the Russian Federation. The study included 1,055 patients who had a Coronavirus disease 2019, including 451 (42.7 %) men and 604 (57.3) women. The mean age was 58.7 years (29–90); 108 (10.2 %) patients were diagnosed with various comorbidities. 627 (59.4 %) were receiving antitumor drug therapy at the time of diagnosis of COVID-19, and 332 (31.5 %) received antitumor chemotherapy. Most patients had asymptomatic or mild COVID-19: asymptomatic in 205 (19.4 %) patients, and mild — in 517 (49.0 %) patients. Moderate / severe COVID-19 was observed in 268 (25.4 %) patients, while severe / critical COVID-19 was diagnosed in 65 (6.2 %). 1204601776 25 (2.4 %) patients died after COVID-19. The average age of cancer patients who died was 66.3 years (31–84). Among the deceased patients, 16 (64.0 %) were women and 9 (36.0 %) were men. To determine the factors increasing the risk of death in cancer patients we performed univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusions: based on the presented data, the probability of death from COVID-19 was associated with the anti-tumor therapy administered during the disease. This conclusion obliges us to stop antitumor chemotherapy during the COVID-19 disease.