AUTHOR=Yang Sen , Zhao Huaxin , Cui Ran , Ma Le , Ge Xuhua , Fu Qiangqiang , Yu Dehua , Niu Xiaomin 

TITLE=Comparison of clinical outcomes and risk factors for COVID-19 infection in cancer patients without anticancer treatment and noncancer patients

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.925519

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.925519

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Previous studies have shown that cancer patients have higher rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and mortality than noncancer patients. However, the differences between cancer patients undergoing regular follow-up without anticancer treatment and noncancer patients with COVID-19 have remained insufficiently investigated.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A retrospective case–control study of 52 patients with COVID-19 infection was performed with a 1:3 matched proportion of cancer patients undergoing regular follow-up without anticancer treatment and noncancer patients. The demographic characteristics, clinical data, laboratory tests, treatment, and complications of patients were collected from medical records. Chi-square tests and univariate and multivariate regressions were performed to assess the differences between these two cohorts of COVID-19 patients with and without cancer and risk factors for severe events in COVID-19 patients.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Increased C-reactive protein (CRP) (&gt;4 mg/L) (<italic>p</italic> = 0.015) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (&gt;243 IU/L) (<italic>p</italic> = 0.038) were identified as risk factors for severe events in all enrolled COVID-19 patients based on multivariate analysis, but cancer as a chronic disease (<italic>p</italic> = 1.000) was not identified as an independent risk factor for severe events in COVID-19 patients. Compared with noncancer patients, cancer patients had a significantly longer median hospitalization time (29 days vs. 19 days, <italic>p</italic> = 0.048) and a higher incidence of hypoalbuminemia complications (84.6 vs. 46.2%, <italic>p</italic> = 0.016).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>Increased CRP and LDH were risk factors for severe events in all enrolled COVID-19 patients, and an increased incidence of hypoalbuminemia complications and longer hospitalization were noted in COVID-19 cancer patients undergoing regular follow-up without anticancer treatment compared with noncancer patients.</p></sec>