Cancer Patients and Survivors Are Not at Higher Risk of Death from COVID-19, Study Finds; What You Need to Know

The study, published by The Oncologist, compared COVID-19 patients from March 2020 to May 2020 that were admitted to three major hospitals and separated them by those with a history of cancer and those who did not. Among these patients, researchers studied whether there was a higher death rate in the COVID-19 cases with a history of cancer compared to those without a history.  The study involved 183 patients from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

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While comparing morbidity rates, researchers found the risk of hospital death or discharge to hospice was similar for patients with and without a history of cancer. Among COVID-19 patients without a history, nearly 26% passed away or entered hospice. Twenty-eight percent of people with a history of cancer passed away or entered hospice.  Additionally, the study looked at the difference in cancer survivors and those currently battling the disease. Their research found that there was not a significant increase in death for those currently battling cancer compared to cancer survivors.

Some oncologists have opted for more conservative cancer treatment due to limited resources and concerns regarding the effect of COVID-19 on cancer patients. The researchers suggest reconsidering that approach. “Given our finding that systemic cancer treatment may not adversely impact outcomes, withholding systemic cancer therapy, and refusing scarce resources to cancer patients may not be warranted. Further, cancer survivors can be reassured that their risks do not appear to be substantially higher by virtue of their cancer history,” the report states.

The study found that cancer patients actually had better outcomes in some scenarios. “Interventions such as ICU admission and
intubation were less common in cancer patients, which might be due to either less severe disease or less aggressive care. Severe complications of COVID-19 (ARDS, shock, and renal failure) were also less common in patients with cancer
than without cancer,” the report states.

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Cancer Care During COVID-19

This study is likely to make those battling cancer feel a bit more reassured during this uncertain time. Prior to this study, it was widely assumed that cancer patients would be at increased risk of health complications due to their immune systems being compromised during treatment. However, a study published in Nature Cancer in March found that cancer patients with COVID-19 actually had a similar immune response to those without cancer.

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The beginning of the pandemic forced elective surgeries to be delayed and tele-health to be prioritized. However, doctors quickly adapted to changing guidelines and protocols in order to keep cancer patients and staff safe. In order to make sure a patients’ cancer did not spread or advance, doctors would work with them in order to determine whether surgery could be delayed and they can be given chemotherapy first.

“What we’re seeing now is, we’re in our recovery phase,” Dr. Heidi Gray, gynecologic oncologist at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “And definitely, even over the last few weeks, I’ve seen more and more patients come in that I think were delaying or waiting to get care. So we’re really trying to get those patients in very quickly, get them safely to surgery, and get the care they need.”

Dr. Heidi Gray explains how hospitals are adapting to COVID-19 protocols

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