# Association of cancer and outcomes of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between 2020 and 2023

## TL;DR

Cancer patients hospitalized for COVID-19 had higher mortality and longer hospital stays compared to non-cancer patients, but were less likely to be admitted to the ICU.

## Contribution

This study provides large-scale evidence on the outcomes of cancer patients hospitalized for COVID-19 across multiple countries.

## Key findings

- Cancer patients had a 30-day in-hospital mortality rate of 29.1% compared to 18.0% in non-cancer patients.
- Cancer patients had longer hospital stays (median of 12 days) than non-cancer patients (8 days).
- Cancer patients were less likely to be admitted to the ICU (12.6% vs 17.1%) and receive invasive mechanical ventilation.

## Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused substantial morbidity and mortality on a global scale. A strong correlation has been found between COVID-19 treatment outcomes and noncommunicable diseases such as cancers. However, there is limited information on the outcomes of cancer patients who were hospitalised for COVID-19.

We conducted an analysis on data collected in a large prospective cohort study set-up by the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC). All patients with laboratory-confirmed or clinically-diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Cancer was defined as having a current solid organ or haematological malignancy. The following outcomes were assessed; 30-day in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, length of hospitalization and receipt of higher-level care.

Of the 560,547 hospitalised individuals who were analysed, 27,243 (4.9%) had cancer. Overall, cancer patients were older and had more comorbidities than non-cancer patients. Patients with cancer had higher 30-day in-hospital mortality than non-cancer patients (29.1.3% vs 18.0%) and longer hospital stays (median of 12 days vs 8 days). However, patients with cancer were admitted less often to intensive care units than non-cancer patients (12.6% vs 17.1%) and received less invasive mechanical ventilation than non-cancer patients (4.5% vs 7.6%). The hazard ratio of dying from cancer, adjusted for age, sex and country income level was 1.18 (95%CI: 1.15-1.2).

This study’s findings underscore the heightened vulnerability of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with cancer, revealing a higher mortality rate, longer hospital stays, and an unstructured pattern of care that reflects the complexity of managing severely ill patients during a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.