Among the disruptions in timely medical care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is the receipt of anticancer therapy, evidence suggests. Data also suggest that patients with gynecologic cancer may have varied responses to COVID-19 infection. Using data from The Society of Gynecologic Oncology COVID-19 and Gynecologic Cancer Registry, researchers analyzed the demographics, clinical manifestations, outcomes, treatment type, and disease severity of 312 patients with gynecologic cancer and concurrent COVID-19 infection. Participants had low-grade endometrial (31%), high-grade ovarian (22%), cervical (14%), high-grade endometrial (13%), other (16%), and vulvar (3%) cancers. Among participants, 37% had active malignancy at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis and 25% were on anticancer therapy. Chemotherapy (51%), targeted agents (25%), and surgery (27%) were the most common anticancer treatments, with only 16% receiving multi-modal therapy. COVID-19 infection was the cause of treatment delay or discontinuation in 28% of patients, most frequently for chemotherapy (43%) and surgery (27%). In regard to COVID-19 infection, 19% of patients required supplemental oxygen, 29% were hospitalized (including 5% in an ICU), 10 required ventilator support, and 30% of those on chemotherapy were hospitalized. Risk for hospitalization and ICU admission were increased in participants with older age, more than two comorbid conditions, and non-White race. Black/African-American, Asian, and other non-White patients had disproportionately high rates of hospitalization requirement. COVID-19 complications were the cause of death for 8% of hospitalized patients, with 4% of the whole cohort not surviving beyond 30 days from COVID-19 diagnosis. “Patients with gynecologic cancer diagnosed with COVID-19 are at high risk of hospitalization, delay of anticancer treatments, and death,” the researchers wrote. “Additional studies are needed to determine the long-term oncologic and mortality outcomes and the impact of race in this patient cohort.”
