Incidence and Outcome of COVID-19 Infection in Cancer Patients, A Long Term Study: An Experience From Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction:Cancer patients are at risk of severe symptoms because of COVID 19 virus. Cancer patients are prone because they are immune-comprised due to their cancer and due to treatment with chemotherapy/immunotherapy. It is difficult to treat cancer patients in this pandemic due to limited data. Incidence of severe complications related to this virus in cancer patients is high then non cancer patients of same age group. They need more ICU admission and invasive ventilation. Since clinical data is relatively scarce in this perspective. This study is being carried out to perceive incidence and severity and outcome of this viral infection in cancer population in under developed country. Methods: All cancer patients who were receiving active oncological treatment and on surveillance visited the oncology clinic or required inpatient hospital care were included in this study. Aim was to assess the incidence and outcome of COVID 19 infection in oncology patients treated in our institute. Files of all adult cancer patients who were COVID positive and required inpatient care or managed at home from March 2020 till March 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. Purposive non-random sampling has been used for sampling technique. All details related to this infection have been recorded on a predesigned Proforma. Results: Total number of patients who visited Oncology clinics during 1 st wave and 2 nd wave of covid-19 were: n-7877 [M :F-1.5 :1]. During these waves total oncology patients who contracted COVID virus were: N= 170[170/ 7877=2.1 %, M: F-1.8: 1]. Only n-18 patients expired, Mortality according to severity of infection was: mild [4.7%], moderate [1.7%] and severe [4.1%]. More patients died secondary to this virus were urinary bladder [22.8%] and prostate cancer [15%] followed by GI [11.5%]. Patients with mild infection died because they had associated sepsis and uncontrolled malignancy. Mortality according to age, total [n-18], 5, 5, 8, and 0 according to age group 1, 2, 3 and 4. Mortality with co-morbidities, only chronic kidney disease [n-03], only hypertension [n-4], only ischemic heart disease [n-0], with multiple co-morbidities Afshan Asghar Rasheed et al.