Cancer patients who have fallen ill with COVID-19 have a 13 per cent higher chance of dying from the disease compared to other patients, according to a new study.
The study reported that the cancer-specific factors associated with increased mortality included an active cancer status, particularly progressive cancer, and the presence of one or more additional conditions in patients such as hypertension or diabetes. Another factor was having an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of two or worse in measuring how cancer impacts a patient's daily living abilities.
Dr. Brian Rini, one of the study's senior authors, told CTVNews.ca on Thursday that these numbers may increase over time as more patients of various cancer types are studied. Rini said the study does not "represent the entire world of cancer" but does help researchers better understand how COVID-19 impacts cancer patients.
In addition, the study reported no statistical association between mortality and cancer treatments, suggesting that surgery and chemotherapy can continue during the pandemic with "extreme caution."
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New study suggests wearing a face mask at home could help limit spread of COVID-19A new study has found that wearing a face mask in your home could help reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus among those you live with.
Read more »
Backyard pool sales surge during the COVID-19 pandemicPool stores say they are seeing a massive increase in sales as more families stay close to home during the pandemic.
Read more »
COVID-19: Thousands of Canadians getting US$1,200 cheques simply because they’re still U.S. citizensAccording to the IRS, nearly 750,000 stimulus cheques have gone out to ‘foreign addresses,’ totalling $1.2 billion
Read more »
Elliott ends Busch’s win streak, claims $100,000 bounty to battle COVID-19Elliott ends Busch’s win streak, claims $100,000 bounty to battle COVID-19 Globe_Sports
Read more »
Ontario reports spike in new COVID-19 patients after two days of fewer than 300 casesOntario has reported a jump in new COVID-19 cases following two days in which the number of daily patients was below 300.
Read more »