Hopeful news from the Institut Curie: survivors probably not at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19
Up until recently, all cancer patients were considered a risk group with a higher chance of developing a severe form of COVID-19 or even dying. These assumptions were based on Chinese research that did not distinguish between different types of cancer. The Chinese results needed to be further clarified and specified. Therefore, the Institut Curie in France launched research on breast cancer patients infected with COVID-19. Last week, it published the first surprising results of that study.
- Survivors do not seem to die from COVID-19 more often than others. - COVID-19 does not appear to be more common among survivors than among the general population. - No link was found between the severity of the disease and the type of anti-tumour treatment (chemo or other) that the survivor was receiving at that time. - No increase in the severity of COVID-19 was observed after radiotherapy of the breast or adjacent lymph nodes.
The doctors followed 15,600 patients who had been treated for breast cancer in the past 4 months. Only 59 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19, which seems to correspond in percentage terms to the estimated number of positive cases for the whole of the French population (0.2 to 0.4 %).
- 37/59 (63 %) survivors were treated for metastatic breast cancer - 13/59 (22 %) survivors were taking corticosteroids daily - 28/59 (47 %) survivors were hospitalised - 6/59 (10 %) survivors were transferred to an intensive care unit
At the time of analysis - 45/59 (76 %) survivors were recovering or had been cured - 10/59 (17 %) survivors were still being followed - 4/59 (7 %) survivors had died from COVID-19
All 4 survivors who had died had significant non-cancer-related conditions, which in themselves could explain their deaths. Conditions such as high blood pressure, but also an older age (> 70) are examples of this. In order to correctly estimate the risk of serious infection with COVID-19, extra attention must be paid to these additional non-cancer-related disorders in survivors.
Are you worried about your breasts? Do you feel a (painful) lump in your breast or armpit? Do not wait and consult your doctor. The faster a possible diagnosis can be made, the greater the chances of a cure. Waiting for treatment or cancelling your appointments can be more damaging to your health than COVID-19.
Study financed by the Institut Curie in collaboration with professors of medicine from the Université Paris-Saclay (UVSQ) and the Université de Paris.