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. 2023 Jan 20;15(3):651.
doi: 10.3390/cancers15030651.

COVID and Cancer: A Complete 3D Advanced Radiological CT-Based Analysis to Predict the Outcome

Syed Rahmanuddin  1 , Asma Jamil  1 , Ammar Chaudhry  1 , Tyler Seto  2 , Jordyn Brase  1 , Pejman Motarjem  1 , Marjaan Khan  1 , Cristian Tomasetti  3 , Umme Farwa  1 , William Boswell  1 , Haris Ali  4 , Danielle Guidaben  1 , Rafay Haseeb  1 , Guibo Luo  5 , Guido Marcucci  4 , Steven T Rosen  4 , Wenli Cai  5
Affiliations

COVID and Cancer: A Complete 3D Advanced Radiological CT-Based Analysis to Predict the Outcome

Syed Rahmanuddin et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Cancer patients infected with COVID-19 were shown in a multitude of studies to have poor outcomes on the basis of older age and weak immune systems from cancer as well as chemotherapy. In this study, the CT examinations of 22 confirmed COVID-19 cancer patients were analyzed.

Methodology: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 28 cancer patients, of which 22 patients were COVID positive. The CT scan changes before and after treatment and the extent of structural damage to the lungs after COVID-19 infection was analyzed. Structural damage to a lung was indicated by a change in density measured in Hounsfield units (HUs) and by lung volume reduction. A 3D radiometric analysis was also performed and lung and lesion histograms were compared.

Results: A total of 22 cancer patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. A repeat CT scan were performed in 15 patients after they recovered from infection. Most of the study patients were diagnosed with leukemia. A secondary clinical analysis was performed to show the associations of COVID treatment on the study subjects, lab data, and outcome on mortality. It was found that post COVID there was a decrease of >50% in lung volume and a higher density in the form of HUs due to scar tissue formation post infection.

Conclusion: It was concluded that COVID-19 infection may have further detrimental effects on the lungs of cancer patients, thereby, decreasing their lung volume and increasing their lung density due to scar formation.

Keywords: COVID-19; CT scan; cancer; corona virus; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Radiometric 3D analysis (red circle part indicate COVID related damage in the lungs) and time density histograms constructed for Patient 2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Radiometric 3D analysis (red circle part indicate COVID related damage in the lungs) and time density histograms constructed for Patient 3.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Radiometric 3D analysis (red circle part indicate COVID related damage in the lungs) and time density histograms constructed for Patient 6.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Radiometric 3D analysis (red circle part indicate COVID related damage in the lungs) and time density histograms constructed for Patient 7.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Radiometric 3D analysis(red circle part indicate COVID related damage in the lungs) and time density histograms constructed for Patient 15.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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