Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Patients: An Experience From a Tertiary Care Center in Northeast India

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the healthcare system worldwide. Cancer patients and oncologists faced challenges equally in the context of the pandemic. The present study was undertaken to assess the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients, encompassing infection source, care type, treatment delays, and infection outcomes.

This single-center retrospective study was conducted between March 2020 and January 2022 at North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, India. It examined COVID-19 cases in cancer patients with positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results. Data collection included demographics, clinical details, COVID-19 specifics, treatment delays, and infection outcomes.

In our study of 9,854 oncology patients' visits, 26 (0.26%) tested COVID-19 positive by RT-PCR, aged three to 70 years with a male-female ratio of 1:1.67. Twenty-three percent had comorbidities, mainly hypertension. Gastrointestinal cancers (30.8%) and hepatobiliary origin (15.5%) were common. Most patients (69.2%) had stage IV cancer, and 34.6% aimed for curative treatment. The majority of the patients (76.9%) were community-acquired, and the rest (23.1%) contracted during hospital stay. Fever (34.5%) and asymptomatic infection (30.8%) were common presentations. Six (23.1%) comorbid patients required ICU care. Median treatment delay was three weeks, with one COVID-19-related death (3.8%) and six cancer-related deaths. On follow-up, 19.2% had stable disease, 7.7% partial response, 7.7% recurrence, and 23.1% had progression.

Amid the pandemic, cancer patients safely received treatment. Mild cases were managed at home. Poor outcome was found in comorbid, severe COVID-19 cancer patients. However, the impact of treatment delays on long-term oncological outcomes needs further study.