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In the first 10 months of the pandemic before vaccines were available, 16,561 deaths occurred in the U. S. It is in the U. S. in other people with cancer and COVID-19, according to a study letter published in JAMA Oncology.
The deadliest cancers linked to COVID-19 were blood cancer and prostate cancer; In addition, the researchers found that those patients were more likely to die in a hospital or long-term care facility if they had COVID-19 and cancer than if they had cancer alone.
By having a more granular understanding of COVID-19 and cancer-related deaths, oncologists can fully identify patients in the face of the threat of poor outcomes and a host of other factors.
For example, lead author Xuesong Han, PhD, noted that “the position of death is not only the end-of-life quality of patients and the grief of the circle of family members and caregivers during bereavement. . . In addition, more hospitalized patient deaths can be left to medical expenses at the end of life through the circle of relatives and the health system.
While previous studies have demonstrated the effect the pandemic has had on cancer care and outcomes, there is limited evidence about excess deaths related to COVID-19 and cancer in the first year of the pandemic, before vaccines are available.
The researchers used the CDC’s WONDER database to read about the reasons for death based on the death certificate of U. S. citizens from March 1 to December 31, 2020 and 4 known groups:
Those who died of cancer as underlying and COVID-19 as contributorArray
Those who died from COVID-19 as underlying and cancer as contributorArray
Deaths from COVID-19 cancer as a contributing cause.
Those who died from COVID-19 cancer as a contributing cause.
Of the other 16,561 people who died from COVID-19 and cancer, 3142 were cancer deaths with COVID-19 as a contributing factor, and 13,419 were COVID-19 deaths among those whose cancer contributed to death. Nearly a portion of a million other people (497,965) died of cancer without having COVID-19, and another 337,393 people died of COVID-19 without cancer.
A quarter of cancer-related COVID deaths (25. 5%) and 13. 7% of COVID-related cancer deaths were related to hematologic cancers, compared to only 9. 5% of cancer deaths that did not involve COVID-19. For fake tumors, prostate cancer is more prevalent among cancer deaths and COVID-19 than in non-COVID-19 cancer deaths, while gastrointestinal cancer and female genital cancers were not as common among COVID-19 cancer deaths.
“Patients with blood cancers are immunocompromised and prostate cancer patients tend to age, which can increase the threat of headaches and death from COVID-19,” said Han, clinical director of fitness studies at the American Cancer Society.
Cancer- and COVID-19-related deaths were more likely to occur in larger metropolitan spaces, as well as inpatient care facilities, nursing homes, or long-term care homes. In addition, deaths from cancer and COVID-19 were no more unusual among others 85 and older and among members of Native American, Alaska Native, black, or Hispanic racial and ethnic groups.
In addition, the leading cause of cancer death independent of COVID-19 lung cancer, responsible for 22. 5% of cancer deaths not related to COVID-19.
The researchers noted that one of the limitations of the research was the lack of data on the level of cancer and the main treatment points among those who died. For example, among the non-COVID-related cancer deaths noted in the study, it is unclear how delays in care would possibly have contributed to patient outcomes.
Jim Boonyaratanakornkit, MD, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, noted some possible limitations in using ICD codes for the cause of death.
“It’s possible that estimates based on ICD codes are biased by adjustments in coding practices over time,” said Boonyaratanakornkit, who was not related to the existing research. cause. “
The percentage of overall COVID-19 and cancer-related deaths is small compared to deaths attributed to COVID-19 or cancer, but COVID cancer deaths were “likely an underestimate given differences in testing practices and availability early in the pandemic,” he said.
Although Boonyaratanakornkit didn’t see anything unexpected in the study’s results, he noted its importance.
“Although it is difficult to do so with ICD codes alone, I believe it is vital to perceive the leading cause of death, as knowing the true burden and mortality rates attributed to COVID-19 can help public fitness decision-making to guide cancer coverage efforts and strategies. COVID-19 patients,” he said.
No external investment was indicated for the study. Han and co-author Jingxuan Zhao, MPH, won an investment in AstraZeneca studies. Boonyaratanakornkit won an investment in GSK studios.
JAMA Oncol. Published on September 29, 2022. Research letter
Tara Haelle is a health/science journalist in Dallas. Follow it on @tarahaelle.
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