Blood cancer patients most vulnerable to Covid-19

New Delhi, 15-Sep-2020

Blood cancer patients are more vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, a new study has found. The study, published in Lancet Oncology on Monday by the UK Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project (UKCCMP), found that blood cancer patients were particularly at risk with 57 per cent higher odds of severe disease if they contract Covid-19. This was when compared to other cancer patients, such as breast cancer, which was shown to have the lowest risk overall. The study was led by the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham and was conducted on the basis of data submitted by over 60 cancer centres across the UK. The project was set up to help researchers and clinicians better understand what groups of cancer patients are most at risk of severe Covid-19. As cancer treatments need to carry on during the pandemic, this study gives clinicians and patients important information to make informed decisions about that treatment. Professor Rachel Kerr, study Senior Researcher, University of Oxford said, "Using these new data, we are working fast to identify trends and correlations, which will enable us to create a tiered risk assessment tool so we can more precisely define the risk to a given cancer patient and move away from a blanket �vulnerable� policy for all cancer patients, in the event of a second wave of Covid-19." Using demographic data such as age, gender and tumour type, researchers were able to determine that patients with haematological cancers, particularly older patients and those with leukaemia, had a more severe Covid-19 trajectory compared to patients with solid organ tumours. "For the first time, we have a comprehensive analysis to determine who is more at risk of Covid-19. It is important to note that whilst cancer patients are more vulnerable, the chance of any given patient getting infected with Covid-19 remains low. People with cancer can be reassured that everything is being done in UK cancer centres to effectively minimise the risk of infection so that life-saving treatments can continue to be given," Dr Lennard Lee, Academic Clinical Lecturer, University of Oxford said. Professor Gary Middleton, University of Birmingham and Chair of the UK Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project, said, "Patients are turning to their oncologists and wanting to know exactly what is their risk from Covid-19. This is particularly important as the number of cases in Europe and the UK is still labile. The UKCCMP will continue to work to understand the effect of Covid-19 on cancer patients and cancer services to ensure the best possible care in the months ahead."