Outcomes of COVID-19 on Patients with Cancer: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented global health crisis. Among the most vulnerable populations during this pandemic are patients with cancer, who face a double burden of navigating their underlying malignancy and the added risks posed by COVID-19. Understanding the unique challenges and consequences of COVID-19 in cancer patients has become a critical area of investigation.

Aim: The current scoping review aims to summarize the impact of COVID-19 infection on the outcomes in patients with cancer.

Methods: The literature search was conducted in the following electronic databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, and EBSCOhost. In addition, a Google Scholar search was conducted to explore gray literature. The reference lists of the selected studies were manually checked to find any further related articles. Ten studies were retrieved to assess the outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with cancer.

Results: The current scoping review categorized the retrieved studies into three main themes. The first theme is the COVID-19-associated complications in patients with cancer; the second theme is the COVID-19-associated severity in patients with cancer; and the third theme is the COVID-19-associated clinical outcomes among patients with cancer. The initial search identified a total of 1650 articles. After eliminating duplicates, 1023 articles remained. Following stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria, 849 articles were excluded, leaving 174 articles for further examination. The researcher conducted a thorough manual screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts to retrieve only the relevant articles. Consequently, 164 articles were excluded, and 10 Full-text articles were included to explore the impact of COVID-19 infection on the outcomes of patients with cancer.

Conclusion: Patients with cancer are a high-risk group for COVID-19 infection. They are more prone to having a severe form of COVID-19 infection. Moreover, ARDS is the most frequent complication of COVID-19 among patients with cancer. In addition, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, oxygen support, and mechanical ventilation are all increased in patients with cancer infected with COVID-19.