Z5. COVID-19 Complications, co-infections, and clinical outcomes
Poster Session: COVID-19 Complications, Co-infections, and Clinical Outcomes
An increasing number of observational studies have reported the persistence of symptoms following recovery from acute COVID-19 disease. The long-term consequences of COVID-19 are not fully understood and there is no clear consensus on the definition of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). The reported prevalence of PASC widely varies from 10% up to 87%. The purpose of this study is to assess PASC in cancer patients following acute COVID-19 recovery.
Methods:
We assessed cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center who were diagnosed with COVID-19 disease between March 1, 2020 and Sept 1, 2020. Using patient questionnaires and medical chart reviews we followed these patients from March 2020 till May 2021. Patient questionnaires were sent out remotely daily for 14 days after COVID-19 diagnosis then weekly for 3 months, and then monthly thereafter. Chart reviews were conducted for each patient hospital re-admission and emergency department visit. These admissions were classified as either COVID-19 related or non-related. The persistence or emergence of new COVID19-related symptoms were captured at each COVID-19 related admission.
Results:
We included 312 cancer patients with a median age of 57 years (18-86). The majority of patients had solid tumors (75%). Of the 312 patients, 188 (60%) reported long COVID-19 symptoms with a median duration of 7 months and up to 14 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. The most common symptoms reported included fatigue (82%), sleep disturbances (78%), myalgias (67%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (61%), followed by headache, altered smell or taste, dyspnea (47%) and cough (46%). A higher number of females reported a persistence of symptoms compared to males (63% vs 37%; p=0.036). Cancer type, neutropenia, lymphocytopenia, and hospital admission during acute COVID-19 disease were comparable in both groups and did not seem to contribute to a higher number of long-COVID-19 patients in our study group.
Conclusion:
Long-COVID occurs in 60% of cancer patients and may persist up to 14 months after acute illness. The most common symptoms are fatigue, sleep disturbance, myalgia and gastro-intestinal symptoms.
Hiba Dagher, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Alexandre Malek, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport
Shreveport , Louisiana, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Anne-Marie Chaftari, MD
Associate Professor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Ishwaria M. Subbiah, MD
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Ying Jiang, MS
Research Statistical Analyst
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Peter Lamie, DO
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Bruno Granwehr, MD
Professor
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Teny John, MD
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Eduardo Yepez Guevara, MD
Fellow
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Houston, TX, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Jovan Borjan, PharmD
PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Cielito Reyes, DRPH
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Mary Flores, AA
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Fareed Khawaja, MBBS
Assistant Professor
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: Eurofins Viracor (Research Grant or Support)
Mala Pande, MPH, PHD
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Norman Ali, MD
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Raniv Rojo, n/a
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Daniel D. Karp, MD
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Ray Y. Hachem, MD
Professor
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Issam I. Raad, MD
Professor and Chair
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.