Characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with cancer: a single-center retrospective observational study in Tokyo, Japan

BACKGROUND: Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused an international outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), data on the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with cancer are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes including mortality and viral shedding period in COVID-19 patients with cancer in Japan. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 32 patients with a history of cancer who were referred to our hospital between January 31, 2020 and May 25, 2020. We evaluated the association between clinical outcomes and potential prognostic factors using univariate analyses. RESULTS: The median age was 74.5 (range 24–90) years and 22 patients (69%) were men. A total of 11 patients (34%) died. Our analyses demonstrated that the mortality was significantly associated with lymphocyte count, albumin, lactate dehydrogenase, serum ferritin, and C-reactive protein on admission. The median period between illness onset and the first effective negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR result was 22 days (interquartile range 18–25) in survivors. Of four patients with hematological malignancy who developed COVID-19 within the rest period of chemotherapy, three died and the other patient, who received bendamustine plus rituximab therapy, had the longest duration of viral shedding (56 days). CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that the risk factors for mortality previously reported in general COVID-19 patients, including lymphocytopenia, were also effective in cancer patients. Patients who received cytotoxic chemotherapy recently or were treated with chemotherapy, which can lead to lymphocyte reduction, had poor prognosis and prolonged periods of viral shedding. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10147-020-01837-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.