AACR 2020: Global Registry of Mortality in Patients With Lung Cancer and COVID-19
Posted: Monday, May 4, 2020
A host of oncologists worldwide aggregated data on the outcomes and characteristics of patients with thoracic malignancies who were infected with COVID-19. Data analysis of the TERAVOLT registry was presented as part of the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting (Abstract VCTPL09) by Marina C. Garassino, MD, of Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, and colleages. Based on the first report on 200 patients from 8 countries, there was a high mortality rate in this patient population.
In brief, the TERAVOLT registry is collecting clinical data from 21 different countries. “The goals of this consortium are to provide data for guidance to oncology professionals on managing patients with thoracic malignancies while understanding the risk factors for morbidity and mortality from this novel virus,” the investigators stated.
The analysis included data from the first 200 patients in the registry, primarily men who were current or former smokers. Most patients had stage IV disease and non–small cell lung carcinoma. Patients with small cell lung cancer and rare thoracic malignancies were also included. Comorbidities were observed in 83.8% of the patients. The majority of patients were receiving chemotherapy (32.7%), tyrosine kinase inhibitors (19%), immunotherapy (23.1%), or a chemotherapy-immunotherapy combination (13.6%). Pneumonia/pneumonitis and acute respiratory distress syndrome were among the most common complications caused by COVID-19. Of the 200 patients, 152 were hospitalized, and 66 eventually died. Most patients did not receive intensive care.
A univariate analysis showed that having or one or more comorbidities was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and death. Additionally, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease comorbidities were associated with an increased risk of hospitalization. Notably, based on a multivariate analysis, the high mortality rates did not seem to be associated with tumor type, comorbidity, or treatment regimen. The investigators proposed that most deaths were not caused by cancer, but rather COVID-19.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit www.abstractsonline.com.
