Healthcare Disparities and Outcomes of Cancer Patients in a Community Setting from a COVID-19 Epicenter

Abstract

There have been numerous studies demonstrating how cancer patients are at an increased risk of mortality. Within New York City, our community hospital emerged as an epicenter of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020 and serves a unique population that is predominately uninsured, of a lower income, and racially/ethnically diverse. In this single institution retrospective study, the authors seek to investigate COVID-19 diagnosis, severity and mortality in patients with an active cancer diagnosis. Demographic, clinical characteristics, treatment, SARS-CoV-2 laboratory results, and outcomes were evaluated. In our community hospital during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, patients with active cancer diagnosis appear to be at increased risk for mortality (30%) and severe events (50%) due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the general population. A higher proportion of active cancer patients with Medicaid insurance, Hispanic ethnicity, other race, and male sex had complications and death from COVID-19 infection. The pandemic has highlighted the health inequities that exist in vulnerable patient populations and underserved communities such as ours.

Pesquisa e Extensão: Abordagem Interdisciplinar

“…Houve declínio no número de pacientes que compareceram às consultas de rotina e além de ter uma grande taxa de recusa dos próprios pacientes em fazer cirurgias, outro ponto preocupante foi o atraso no tratamento e em cirurgias, pois por serem pacientes com saúde frágil, as consequências da COVID-19 são potencialmente mais graves. Em um estudo realizado na Romênia foi constatado um aumento considerável na taxa de óbito nos pacientes com câncer que frequentavam a clínica e uma maior chance de precisar de intubação ou ventilação mecânica (AYDIN, et al 2022;KIRTANE, et al 2022;ILGUN, et al2021;LAMBLIN, et al2021;TRIFANESCU, et al2021;JONES, et al 2022;ASGHAR et al2022).…”

Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Adaptations

“…In this Special Issue, researchers from various jurisdictions and countries have reported the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Nyk et al retrospectively examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the risk of adverse pathology in Polish patients with early-stage prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy [11].…”

“…In a multivariable analysis, a consecutive epidemic week was associated with adverse pathology in non-high-risk patients. In a community hospital setting in New York City, Jones et al assessed the health disparities and outcomes of cancer patients during the first wave of the pandemic in early 2020 [12]. A higher proportion of patients with COVID-19 infection or severe COVID-19 infection and COVID-19-confirmed deaths were of Hispanic ethnic background compared with patients without COVID-19.…”