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Cancer and Risk of COVID-19 Through a General Community Survey
Karla A Lee1, Wenjie Ma2, Daniel R Sikavi3
1Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
The Oncologist
|August 27, 2020
Summary
Individuals with cancer face a higher risk of testing positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or immunotherapy showed an even greater risk of COVID-19 infection.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and adverse outcomes in cancer patients is a significant concern.
- Limited large-scale population data exist on whether cancer and its treatments increase COVID-19 infection risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between a cancer diagnosis and the risk of contracting COVID-19.
- To examine the impact of cancer-related therapies on COVID-19 infection risk in a large cohort.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the COVID Symptom Study smartphone application (March 29 - May 8, 2020).
- Compared COVID-19 positive test rates between 23,266 participants with cancer and 1,784,293 without cancer.
- Analyzed risk factors including age, sex, and cancer treatment status.
Main Results:
- Participants with cancer had a 60% higher risk of a positive COVID-19 test compared to those without cancer.
- Current chemotherapy or immunotherapy treatment was linked to a 2.2-fold increased risk of a positive COVID-19 test.
- The association between cancer and COVID-19 was more pronounced in males and individuals over 65 years old.
Conclusions:
- Cancer diagnosis is associated with an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection.
- Active cancer treatment, particularly chemotherapy and immunotherapy, further increases this risk.
- Further research is needed to identify specific cancer types and treatments that pose the highest risk for COVID-19.
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