Clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and outcomes of COVID‐19 in cancer and non‐cancer patients from a tertiary Cancer Centre in India

BACKGROUND: There is paucity of data regarding clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and outcomes of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) in cancer versus non‐cancer patients, particularly from India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an observational, single‐centre, retrospective analysis of patients with laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 hospitalised in our institution between 22 May 2020 and 1 December 2020. We compared baseline clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and outcomes of COVID‐19 (overall mortality, time to discharge) between cancer and non‐cancer patients. RESULTS: A total of 200 COVID‐19 infection episodes were analysed of which 109 (54.5%) were patients with cancer and 91 (45.5%) were patients without cancer. The median age was 43 (interquartile range [IQR]:32–57), 51 (IQR: 33–62) and 38 (IQR: 31.5–49.3) years; of whole cohort, cancer and non‐cancer patients, respectively. Comparison of outcomes showed that oxygen requirement (31.2% [95% CI: 22.6–40.7] vs. 17.6% [95% CI: 10.4–26.9]; p = 0.03), median time to discharge (11 days [IQR: 6.75–16] vs. 6 days [IQR: 3–9.75]; p < 0.001) and mortality (10.0% [95% CI: 5.2–17.3] vs. 1.1% [95% CI: 0.03–5.9]; p = 0.017) were significantly higher in patients with cancer. In univariable analysis, factors associated with higher mortality in the whole cohort included diagnosis of cancer (10.1% vs. 1.1%; p = 0.027; odds ratio [OR]: 7.04), age ≥60 (17.4% vs. 2.6%; p = 0.001; OR: 7.38), oxygen requirement (22% vs. 0.6%; p < 0.001; OR: 29.01), chest infiltrates (19.2% vs. 1.4%; p < 0.001; OR: 22.65), baseline absolute lymphocyte count <1 × 10(9)/L (10.8% vs. 1.9%; p = 0.023; OR:5.1), C‐reactive protein >1 mg% (12.8% vs. 0%; p = 0.027; OR: 24.69), serum procalcitonin >0.05 ng/ml (22.65% vs. 0%; p = 0.004; OR: 4.49) and interleukin‐6 >6 pg/ml (10.8% vs. 1.3%; p = 0.036; OR: 3.08). In multivariable logistic regression, factors significantly associated with mortality were oxygen requirement (p = 0.005; OR: 13.11) and high baseline procalcitonin level (p = 0.014; OR: 37.6). CONCLUSION: Cancer patients with COVID‐19 have higher mortality and require longer hospital stay. High procalcitonin levels and oxygen requirement during admission are other factors that affect outcomes adversely.