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By Amy Norton<\/b>
HealthDay Reporter<\/i><\/p>\n
TUESDAY, Sept. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
People with cancer<\/a> are at increased risk for severe COVID-19<\/a>. Now, a preliminary study suggests that certain cancer<\/a> therapies may heighten those odds even further.<\/p>\n Researchers found that of 3,600 U.S. cancer<\/a> patients who contracted COVID-19<\/a>, the highest risk of death was among those who’d received cancer<\/a> treatment within the past three months.<\/p>\n And the type of therapy mattered: Patients treated with immunotherapy plus chemotherapy<\/a> faced the highest risk of dying after contracting COVID-19<\/a>.<\/p>\n Experts stressed that the findings should not deter cancer<\/a> patients from getting lifesaving or life-prolonging treatment.<\/p>\n “We don’t want people delaying care,” said lead researcher Dr. Trisha Wise-Draper, an oncologist at the University of Cincinnati Cancer<\/a> Center. “The cancer is more deadly than COVID.”<\/p>\n Instead, she said, the findings offer more insight into which patients are at greatest risk of becoming severely ill should they contract COVID-19<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cancer immunotherapy includes various approaches to boosting the immune system’s tumor<\/a>-fighting abilities.<\/p>\n Severe cases of COVID-19<\/a>, meanwhile, often involve an out-of-control immune reaction called a cytokine storm. That raised concerns that cancer patients on immunotherapy might be at particular risk of dying if they contract the infection.<\/p>\n But earlier research showed no clear evidence that immunotherapy alone made COVID-19<\/a> complications worse, according to Wise-Draper.<\/p>\n These latest findings, she said, suggest it’s the combination of immunotherapy and chemo<\/a> drugs<\/a> that carries the biggest risk.<\/p>\n Among patients on both therapies who contracted the new coronavirus, 29% died. High risks were also linked to chemotherapy<\/a> alone, and to “targeted therapies” — particularly drugs<\/a> that deplete the immune system’s B cells, Wise-Draper said.<\/p>\n Those drugs — including rituximab<\/a> and obinutuzumab — are used to treat certain cancers<\/a> that arise in B cells. The problem is, B cells also make antibodies that help the body fight off infection.<\/p>\n Of all patients who’d had targeted therapy in the past year, 20% died after contracting COVID-19 — the same death rate as patients on chemo<\/a> alone. Meanwhile, the death rate among immunotherapy patients was 18%.<\/p>\n To put those numbers into some context, the researchers also looked at COVID-19 patients who’d had cancer but received no treatment for it in the previous year. Of those patients, 14% died.<\/p>\n That rate is still high, Wise-Draper pointed out. She said it underscores the need for vigilance even among people not on active cancer treatment: Social distancing, mask-wearing and other preventive steps are critical.<\/p>\n The study found no evidence that current or recent hormonal therapy added to cancer patients’ risks. In fact, those patients had the lowest death rate after contracting COVID-19, at 11%.<\/p>\n The findings were presented Sept. 19 at the virtual annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology<\/a>, held online due to the pandemic. Like most research presented at meetings, the study is considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.<\/p>\n But the results are important, said Dr. Joshua Brody, director of the Lymphoma<\/a> Immunotherapy Program at Mount Sinai, in New York City.<\/p>\n The study “illuminates critical statistics that cancer patients and doctors need to be aware of,” Brody said.<\/p>\n “Fortunately,” he added, “the results here are highly actionable.”<\/p>\n Cancer patients on either chemo or drugs that deplete B cells should be monitored closely before and during treatment, according to Brody. And that, he said, should include routine COVID-19 screening, plus a quick response if a patient does become sick — which could mean hospitalization and treatment with the drug dexamethasone<\/a>.<\/p>\n The findings are based on about 3,600 COVID-19 patients from across the United States who’d ever received systemic cancer treatments (therapies other than surgery or radiation<\/a>).<\/p>\n More than half of all patients ended up in the hospital. Overall, those treated for cancer within the past year had a higher risk of dying than those whose treatment was farther into the past — except when it came to hormonal therapy. Treatment within the previous three months generally carried the greatest risk.<\/p>\n According to the American Cancer Society, most people treated for cancer in the past — especially if it was years ago — are likely to have normal immune function. But, the group added, “each person is different,” and it urges cancer patients and survivors to talk to their doctor about their situation.<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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