COVID-19 in Patients with Cancer: Insights from a Tertiary Care Intensive Care Unit

Background: & Aim: Since The emergence of the COVID-19, patients with cancer have been among the most vulnerable patients, as this infection can be severe and mostly requires intensive care therapy. Literature discussing the risk factors and the outcome of these patients in intensive care units (ICU) is accumulating. Our study aims to search for the incidence of COVID-19 infection in cancer patients and analyses their associated comorbidities, possible risk factor for infections, and their outcomes. Methods: : Patients with active cancer under treatment and those recently diagnosed with cancer and had confirmed COVID-19 infection requiring ICU admission were included in our study over 8 months, from March to October 2022. Patient demographic data, comorbidities, ICU stay, duration of hospital stay, oxygenation/ventilatory requirements, treatment, secondary bacterial infection, and outcome were collected from the COVID-19 patients' registry in the ICU. Data were entered into the SPSS program version 23, and results were considered statistically significant at p ≤ 0.05. Results: : A total of 24 patients with cancer and COVID-19 infection required intensive care therapy. The most common type of malignancy in those patients was solid organ tumor (13 vs. 11 patients), and most of the study sample were males (20/ 83.3%). Seventy-five percent (18 patients) required intubation and invasive ventilation. Twenty-nine percent (7 patients) had secondary bacterial pneumonia and bacteremia. In addition, 70% had septic shock and required vasopressors. Acute kidney injury (AKI) due to rhabdomyolysis (PConclusion: Cancer patients requiring ICU were more prone to develop AKI, rhabdomyolysis, secondary infection, requiring ventilation and prone position, and septic shock. These patients had a significantly high mortality rate and were severely ill, requiring prolonged ventilation and ICU stays.