Cancer Patients Hospitalized with Suspected Covid-19 Infection: A Single-Center Experience

Moreno IR and Pellitero AM. J Oncol Res Ther 5: 1097. Cancer Patients Hospitalized with Suspected Covid-19 Infection: A Single-Center Experience Inés Ruiz Moreno*, Alba Moratiel Pellitero, María Zapata García, Pilar Bueso Inglán Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain *Corresponding author: Inés Ruiz Moreno, Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain Citation: Moreno IR and Pellitero AM (2020) Cancer Patients Hospitalized with Suspected Covid-19 Infection. A Single-Center Experience. J Oncol Res Ther 5: 1097. DOI: 10.29011/2574-710X.001097 Received Date: 14 July, 2020; Accepted Date: 31 July, 2020; Published Date: 05 August, 2020 DOI: 10.29011/2574-710X.001097 Abstract Introduction and Objectives: Cancer patients are regarded as a highly vulnerable group in the current pandemic of the novel coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. However, there are no large reported series on this matter [1-3]. The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics and evolution of cancer patients with suspected COVID-19 infection who were admitted to Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa in Zaragoza from February 28, 2020, to April 30, 2020, where 584 cases of COVID-19 infection and 149 deaths were reported. Material and Methods: An excel 2010 database was made with information collected from patients included in this descriptive, observational, retrospective study. A qualitative descriptive statistical analysis was performed by Jamovi. Results: A total of 53 cancer patients with suspected COVID-19 infection were included. Median age was 65 years (range 3489) and 56.6% were men. Lung cancer was the most common cancer type (3.4%), followed by breast cancer (13.3%) and head and neck cancer (11.3%). 66% had stage IV cancer and 84.9% were undergoing active treatment (CTX 54.7%, IMT 11.3%, a combination of both 7.5% and others 11.3%) [1-3]. The most common symptoms were fever (51%), dyspnoea (43.4%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (26.4%). 27% had radiological findings consistent with COVID-19 infection. 5 patients (9.4%) had positive PCR results. Median length of stay was 9 days (range 1-50). 90.6% were admitted from Emergency Department and 9.4% from Oncology consulting room. One patient required admission to ICU. 5 patients died during hospitalization, 2 of which had positive PCR results. The proportion and mortality of cancer patients hospitalized with positive PCR compared to the total cases in our facility has been 0.85% and 1.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The low incidence and mortality recorded in our sample is striking, so more series will need to be analyzed in order to draw conclusions about the subtype of patients.Introduction and Objectives: Cancer patients are regarded as a highly vulnerable group in the current pandemic of the novel coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. However, there are no large reported series on this matter [1-3]. The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics and evolution of cancer patients with suspected COVID-19 infection who were admitted to Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa in Zaragoza from February 28, 2020, to April 30, 2020, where 584 cases of COVID-19 infection and 149 deaths were reported. Material and Methods: An excel 2010 database was made with information collected from patients included in this descriptive, observational, retrospective study. A qualitative descriptive statistical analysis was performed by Jamovi. Results: A total of 53 cancer patients with suspected COVID-19 infection were included. Median age was 65 years (range 3489) and 56.6% were men. Lung cancer was the most common cancer type (3.4%), followed by breast cancer (13.3%) and head and neck cancer (11.3%). 66% had stage IV cancer and 84.9% were undergoing active treatment (CTX 54.7%, IMT 11.3%, a combination of both 7.5% and others 11.3%) [1-3]. The most common symptoms were fever (51%), dyspnoea (43.4%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (26.4%). 27% had radiological findings consistent with COVID-19 infection. 5 patients (9.4%) had positive PCR results. Median length of stay was 9 days (range 1-50). 90.6% were admitted from Emergency Department and 9.4% from Oncology consulting room. One patient required admission to ICU. 5 patients died during hospitalization, 2 of which had positive PCR results. The proportion and mortality of cancer patients hospitalized with positive PCR compared to the total cases in our facility has been 0.85% and 1.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The low incidence and mortality recorded in our sample is striking, so more series will need to be analyzed in order to draw conclusions about the subtype of patients.