Approved Research
The risk, prognosis and severity rate of novel coronavirus disease 2019 in patients with cancer.
Lay summary
In the current COVID-19 pandemic scenario, the management of cancer patients and the modulation of the organization of the Oncological Hospitals represent an urgent necessity worldwide. In contrast to severe acute respiratory system coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, more deaths from severe novel coronovirus pneumonia occurred due to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome rather than respiratory failure, which might attributed to the widespread distribution of angiotensin converting enzyme 2-the functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2-in multiple organs. Patients with cancer are more susceptible to infection than individuals without cancer in consideration of their systemic immunosuppressive status caused by the malignancy and anticancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or surgery. The treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in patients with cancer is important for the disease control of COVID-19.
The aim of our project (estimated duration: 6 months) is to investigate the risk, prognosis and severity rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with cancer. The odds ratio (OR) will be calculated to examine the association between patients with cancer and the risk of developing severe COVID-19. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95%CI will be calculated to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency and prognosis of cancer patients. The onset of severe symptoms and the use of equipment such as ventilators were assessed to evaluate severity rate of tumor patients with COVID-19. Polygenic risk score (PRS) for each cancer using genotyping data and a GWAS analysis with adjusting for age, sex, genotyping array were performed to discover genetic risk factors for some cancer patients infected with COVID-19, such as cancer genetic predisposition. Through the analysis, advices can be provided to the strategies for patients with cancer in this COVID-19 crisis, and in future attacks of severe infectious diseases.