• Marcelo Zylberman, Fernando A Díaz-Couselo, Célica Irrazabal, Santiago Flagel, Rosario Custidiano, Agustina Racciopi, Carla Nicolini, Pierina Bachetti, Juan Rébora, Natalia Manzano, Margarita Tavella, Sandra Valle, Laura Noro, Sebastián Halac, Eric Cassal, Lisandro Paganini, Marina Aguirre, and Miguel Dictar.
• Instituto Alexander Fleming, Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-mail: mzylberman@fibertel.com.ar.
• Medicina (B Aires). 2021 Jan 1; 81 (5): 695-702.

AbstractCancer patients are exposed to more complications from COVID-19 than non-cancer patients. We report a cohort of 74 cancer patients (87.8% with solid neoplasia and 12.2% with hematological diseases) with COVID-19 infection admitted to a tertiary medical cancer center in Argentina. Pulmonary infiltrates were diagnosed at admission in 78.3% (N = 58) of the cases. COVID-19 infection was hospital-acquired in 20 (27.0%) patients. Thirty-nine patients (52.7%) received anticancer therapy within the 30 days prior to COVID-19 diagnosis; one was on radiation therapy. Twenty-four (32.4%) patients were admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 18 (75.0%) required mechanical ventilation. All cause in-hospital mortality was 32.4% (N = 24) and ICU mortality was 62.5% (N = 15). Mortality under mechanical ventilation was 72.2% (N = 13). In the univariate analysis age, neutrophil count, neutrophil/lymphocyte index, D-dimer, ferritin, smoking, and nosocomial acquired infection were associated with in-hospital mortality. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality related to disease stage for solid tumors, neither cancer treatment within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. Age and smoking were associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis. The adjusted odds ratios (95 CI) for age = 65 years and smoking were 8.87 (1.35-58.02) and 8.64 (1.32 - 56.64), respectively. Our experience can be useful for other institutions that assist cancer patients during the pandemic.

12 keywords...

hide…