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. 2023 Mar;25(3):768-775.
doi: 10.1007/s12094-022-02985-7. Epub 2022 Dec 24.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with melanoma: results of the Spanish Melanoma Group registry

Maria Gonzalez-Cao  1 , Teresa Puertolas  2 , Clara Martinez-Vila  3 , Cristina Carrera  4 , Cayetana Maldonado Seral  5 , Pedro Rodríguez-Jiménez  6 , Silvia Sequero  7 , Pablo Cerezuela-Fuentes  8 , Rosa Feltes Ochoa  9 , Eva Muñoz  10   11 , Mónica Antoñanzas Basa  12 , Juan Martín-Liberal  13 , Ainara Soria  14 , Juan Francisco Rodriguez Moreno  15 , Ivan Marquez-Rodas  16 , Pilar Lopez Criado  17 , José Luis Manzano  18 , Rafael Lopez-Castro  19 , Pablo Ayala de Miguel  20 , Laura Villalobos  21 , Salvador Martin Algarra  22 , Ines Gonzalez-Barrallo  23 , Aram Boada  24 , Almudena García Castaño  25 , Susana Puig  4 , Guillermo Crespo  26 , Pablo Luna Fra  27 , Cristina Aguayo Zamora  28 , Marta Feito Rodríguez  9 , Lara Valles  29 , Ana Drozdowskyj  30 , Jesús Gardeazabal  31 , Luis Antonio Fernandez-Morales  32 , Alberto Rodrigo  33 , Raquel Cruz  34 , Oriol Yelamos  35 , Belen Rubio  36 , Karmele Mujica  37 , Mariano Provencio  38 , Alfonso Berrocal  39 ; Spanish Melanoma Group (GEM)
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with melanoma: results of the Spanish Melanoma Group registry

Maria Gonzalez-Cao et al. Clin Transl Oncol. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The Spanish Melanoma Group (GEM) developed a national registry of patients with melanoma infected by SARS-CoV-2 ("GRAVID").

Methods: The main objective was to describe the COVID-19 fatality rate in patients with melanoma throughout the pandemic, as well as to explore the effect of melanoma treatment and tumor stage on the risk of COVID-19 complications. These are the final data of the register, including cases from February 2020 to September 2021.

Results: One hundred-fifty cases were registered. Median age was 68 years (range 6-95), 61 (40%) patients were females, and 63 (42%) patients had stage IV. Thirty-nine (26%) were on treatment with immunotherapy, and 17 (11%) with BRAF-MEK inhibitors. COVID-19 was resolved in 119 cases, including 85 (57%) patients cured, 15 (10%) that died due to melanoma, and 20 (13%) that died due to COVID-19. Only age over 60 years, cardiovascular disorders, and diabetes mellitus increased the risk of death due to COVID-19, but not advanced melanoma stage nor melanoma systemic therapies. Three waves have been covered by the register: February-May 2020, August-November 2020, and December 2020-April 2021. The first wave had the highest number of registered cases and COVID-19 mortality.

Conclusion: Tumor stage or melanoma treatments are non-significant prognostic factors for COVID-19 mortality. During the pandemic in Spain there was a downward trend in the number of patients registered across the waves, as well as in the severity of the infection.

Gov identifier: NCT04344002.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cancer; Immunotherapy; Melanoma; PD-1.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
COVID-19 symptoms. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 in melanoma patients were fever in 91 (61%) patients, dyspnea in 58 (39%), dry cough in 63 (42%), fatigue in 51 (34%), headache in 25 (17%) and myalgia in 25 (17%)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mortality and cure rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in melanoma patients according to cancer treatment type. According to melanoma therapy, mortality rates from COVID-19 were 18.2, 13.3, and 16.2%, for immunotherapy, targeted drugs, and for patients that were not undergoing active cancer treatment (p = 0.677)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Odds Ratio Plot showing effect on COVID-19 mortality. Odds Ratio Plot showing effect on COVID-19 mortality. Odds ratios with 95% Wald confidence limits
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
COVID-19 Infection cases and number of deaths along waves. First wave was from 10th February to 31st May 2020, the second was from 1st August to 30th November 2020, and the third was from 1st December 2020 to 31st March 2021
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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