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. 2020 Nov 24;7(1):FSO645.
doi: 10.2144/fsoa-2020-0157.

Cancer patients with COVID-19: a retrospective study of 51 patients in the district of Piacenza, Northern Italy

Luigi Cavanna  1 , Chiara Citterio  1 , Ilaria Toscani  1 , Cosimo Franco  2 , Andrea Magnacavallo  3 , Serena Caprioli  4 , Evelina Cattadori  5 , Camilla Di Nunzio  1 , Roberto Pane  6 , Roberta Schiavo  7 , Claudia Biasini  1 , Massimo Ambroggi  1
Affiliations

Cancer patients with COVID-19: a retrospective study of 51 patients in the district of Piacenza, Northern Italy

Luigi Cavanna et al. Future Sci OA. .

Abstract

Background: Cancer patients are considered a highly fragile group in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Material & methods: In this study, patients with COVID-19 and cancer, hospitalized in Piacenza, Italy, from 4 April to 4 May 2020 were included. Risk factors for death were analyzed.

Results: Fifty-one COVID-19 cancer patients were included, of which the median age was 71.02 years (range: 51-86) and 70.59% were male. Cancer types included gastrointestinal (25.49%), genitourinary (25.49%) and lung (23.53%). Forty-five (88.24%) patients received hydroxychloroquine-based therapy. In addition, 25 of 51 patients died (49%): 12 of 51 (23.53%) owing to cancer and 13 of 51 (25.49%) owing to COVID-19.

Conclusion: The risks for death were related to later onset of treatment for COVID-19, severe/critical COVID-19, age, elevated basal CRP and elevated lactate dehydrogenase.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-COV-2; cancer; hydroxychloroquine; infection; mortality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure L Cavanna holds a consulting or advisory role for AstraZeneca and Merck, and received travel and accommodation expenses from Celgene, Pfizer and Ipsen. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Cox regression analysis of potential prognostic factors.
COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NED: No evidence of disease.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Kaplan–Meier survival plots for different prognostic factors.
The figure displays the Kaplan–Meier survival plots according to time of symptoms to treatment (A), COVID-19 severity (B), LDH (C) and CRP (D). COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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