Background Data on patients with COVID-19 who have cancer are lacking. Here we characterise the outcomes of a cohort of patients with cancer and COVID-19 and identify potential prognostic factors for mortality and severe illness.Methods In this cohort study, we collected de-identified data on patients with active or previous malignancy, aged 18 years and older, with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection from the USA, Canada, and Spain from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) database for whom baseline data were added between March 17 and April 16, 2020. We collected data on baseline clinical conditions, medications, cancer diagnosis and treatment, and COVID-19 disease course. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality within 30 days of diagnosis of COVID-19. We assessed the association between the outcome and potential prognostic variables using logistic regression analyses, partially adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, and obesity. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04354701, and is ongoing. FindingsOf 1035 records entered into the CCC19 database during the study period, 928 patients met inclusion criteria for our analysis. Median age was 66 years (IQR 57-76), 279 (30%) were aged 75 years or older, and 468 (50%) patients were male. The most prevalent malignancies were breast (191 [21%]) and prostate (152 [16%]). 366 (39%) patients were on active anticancer treatment, and 396 (43%) had active (measurable) cancer. At analysis (May 7, 2020), 121 (13%) patients had died. In logistic regression analysis, independent factors associated with increased 30-day mortality, after partial adjustment, were: increased age (per 10 years; partially adjusted odds ratio 1•84, 95% CI 1•53-2•21), male sex (1•63, 1•07-2•48), smoking status (former smoker vs never smoked: 1•60, 1•03-2•47), number of comorbidities (two vs none: 4•50, 1•33-15•28), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or higher (status of 2 vs 0 or 1: 3•89, 2•11-7•18), active cancer (progressing vs remission: 5•20, 2•77-9•77), and receipt of azithromycin plus hydroxychloroquine (vs treatment with neither: 2•93, 1•79-4•79; confounding by indication cannot be excluded). Compared with residence in the US-Northeast, residence in Canada (0•24, 0•07-0•84) or the US-Midwest (0•50, 0•28-0•90) were associated with decreased 30-day all-cause mortality. Race and ethnicity, obesity status, cancer type, type of anticancer therapy, and recent surgery were not associated with mortality. Interpretation Among patients with cancer and COVID-19, 30-day all-cause mortality was high and associated with general risk factors and risk factors unique to patients with cancer. Longer follow-up is needed to better understand the effect of COVID-19 on outcomes in patients with cancer, including the ability to continue specific cancer treatments.

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SUMMARY Norovirus, an RNA virus of the family Caliciviridae , is a human enteric pathogen that causes substantial morbidity across both health care and community settings. Several factors enhance the transmissibility of norovirus, including the small inoculum required to produce infection (<100 viral particles), prolonged viral shedding, and its ability to survive in the environment. In this review, we describe the basic virology and immunology of noroviruses, the clinical disease resulting from infection and its diagnosis and management, as well as host and pathogen factors that complicate vaccine development. Additionally, we discuss overall epidemiology, infection control strategies, and global reporting efforts aimed at controlling this worldwide cause of acute gastroenteritis. Prompt implementation of infection control measures remains the mainstay of norovirus outbreak management.

Antibiotic treatment can deplete the commensal bacteria of a patient’s gut microbiota and, paradoxically, increase their risk of subsequent infections. In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), antibiotic administration is essential for optimal clinical outcomes but significantly disrupts intestinal microbiota diversity, leading to loss of many beneficial microbes. Although gut microbiota diversity loss during allo-HSCT is associated with increased mortality, approaches to reestablish depleted commensal bacteria have yet to be developed. We have initiated a randomized, controlled clinical trial of autologous fecal microbiota transplantation (auto-FMT) versus no intervention and have analyzed the intestinal microbiota profiles of 25 allo-HSCT patients (14 who received auto-FMT treatment and 11 control patients who did not). Changes in gut microbiota diversity and composition revealed that the auto-FMT intervention boosted microbial diversity and reestablished the intestinal microbiota composition that the patient had before antibiotic treatment and allo-HSCT. These results demonstrate the potential for fecal sample banking and posttreatment remediation of a patient’s gut microbiota after microbiota-depleting antibiotic treatment during allo-HSCT.

IMPORTANCE COVID-19 is a life-threatening illness for many patients. Prior studies have established hematologic cancers as a risk factor associated with particularly poor outcomes from COVID-19. To our knowledge, no studies have established a beneficial role for anti-COVID-19 interventions in this at-risk population. Convalescent plasma therapy may benefit immunocompromised individuals with COVID-19, including those with hematologic cancers.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of convalescent plasma treatment with 30-day mortality in hospitalized adults with hematologic cancers and COVID-19 from a multi-institutional cohort. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis retrospective cohort study using data from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium registry with propensity score matching evaluated patients with hematologic cancers who were hospitalized for COVID-19. Data were collected between

Convalescent plasma may benefit immunocompromised individuals with COVID-19, including those with hematologic malignancy. We evaluated the association of convalescent plasma treatment with 30-day mortality in hospitalized adults with hematologic malignancy and COVID-19 from a multi-institutional cohort. 143 treated patients were compared to 823 untreated controls. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, convalescent plasma treatment was associated with improved 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.37-0.97). This association remained significant after propensity-score matching (hazard ratio, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.29-0.92). These findings suggest a potential survival benefit in the administration of convalescent plasma to patients with hematologic malignancy and COVID-19.

New York State had 180,458 cases of SARS-CoV-2 and 9385 reported deaths as of April 10th, 2020. Patients with cancer comprised 8.4% of deceased individuals1. Population-based studies from China and Italy suggested a higher COVID-19 death rate in patients with cancer2,3, although there is a knowledge gap as to which aspects of cancer and its treatment confer risk of severe COVID-19 disease4. This information is critical to balance the competing safety considerations of reducing SARS-CoV-2 exposure and cancer treatment continuation. Since March 10th, 2020 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center performed diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic patients. Overall, 40% out of 423 patients with cancer were hospitalized for COVID-19 illness, 20% developed severe respiratory illness, including 9% that required mechanical ventilation, and 9% that died. On multivariate analysis, age ≥ 65 years and treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) within 90 days were predictors for hospitalization and severe disease, while receipt of chemotherapy within 30 days and major surgery were not. Overall, COVID-19 illness is associated with higher rates of hospitalization and severe outcomes in patients with cancer. Association between ICI and COVID-19 outcomes will need interrogation in tumor-specific cohorts.

Access to rapid and accurate detection of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA is essential for controlling the current global pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, the use of oral rinses and posterior oropharyngeal saliva as an alternative to swab collection methods from symptomatic and asymptomatic healthcare workers for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR was evaluated. For saliva samples, the overall agreement with oropharyngeal swabs (OPS) was 93% (Ƙ=0.84) with a sensitivity of 96.7% (95%CI:83.3-99.8%). The agreement between saliva and nasopharyngeal swabs was 97.7% (Ƙ=0.93) with a sensitivity of 94.1% (95% CI:73.0-99.7%). Oral rinses were compared with NPS only, with an overall agreement of 85.7% (Ƙ=0.65), and a sensitivity of 63% (95% CI:46.6-77.8%). The agreement between a laboratory-developed test based on the CDC RT-PCR and two commercial assays, the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 and the Cobas SARS-CoV-2 was also evaluated. The overall agreement was higher than 90%. Finally, SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva samples was shown to be stable, with no changes in viral loads over 24 hours at both room temperature and 4ºC. While the dilution of SARS-CoV-2 in oral rinses precluded its acceptability as a sample type, posterior oropharyngeal saliva was an acceptable alternative sample type for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection.