May 2, 2024

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Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer

Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer



 

Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer, study shows for the first time.

 

The new coronavirus usually infects humans through the respiratory tract and causes damage to the respiratory system and various organs of the human body. Since the first outbreak at the end of 2019, the new coronavirus has had a great negative impact on the world economy and society.

 

In the past few years since the epidemic, more and more evidence has shown that the COVID-19 is not just a respiratory disease, but affects multiple tissues and organs of the human body.


Recently, researchers from the Geneva Institute for Global Health, the University of Geneva, and the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products published a paper in the journal Scientific Reports entitled: Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection as a marker of undiagnosed cancer: a population-based study research paper.

The study showed that patients with severe COVID-19 had a 31% increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer in the next few months, and severe COVID-19 may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer.

 

Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer

 

 

In this study, the researchers analyzed the French National Health Data System (SNDS) , which included a total of 41,302 patients with severe COVID-19 and 713,670 patients who were not hospitalized for COVID-19 between February 15, 2020 and August 31, 2021.

A control group, when most people in both groups had not been vaccinated, analyzed cancer rates in both groups.

 

The study found that 2.2 percent of participants in critically ill patients were diagnosed with cancer in the following months, compared with 1.5 percent of participants in the control group .

Critically ill patients had a 31 percent increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer .

 

Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer

 

When analyzed according to the follow-up time, it was found that in the first 3 months of follow-up, the risk of being diagnosed with cancer was higher in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia , increasing by 65%.

 

Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer

 

Further, the researchers also analyzed based on age and gender and found that compared with men, female patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia have a 69% increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer.

Compared with people over the age of 60, people under the age of 60 have a 78% increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer, and women under the age of 60 have a 115% increased risk.

This means that critically ill women under the age of 60 are at the highest risk of being diagnosed with cancer.

 

Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer

 

 

When analyzed according to different cancer types, it was found that the risk of certain cancers in patients with severe COVID-19 was significantly higher.

Compared with the control group, the risk of kidney cancer was 3.16 times higher, the risk of blood cancer was 2.54 times higher, the risk of colon cancer was 1.72 times higher, and the risk of lung cancer was 1.7 times higher.

However, there were no differences between the two groups for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, melanoma, breast, prostate, rectal, liver, bladder, and uterine cancers.

 

The study pointed out that patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia have a 31% increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer in the next few months.

Therefore, severe COVID-19 pneumonia may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer, especially in the first 3 months after hospitalization. within the month.

 

Still, the study does not prove a causal relationship between severe COVID-19 and cancer, and could be a marker of undiagnosed cancer, the researchers said.

 

At the same time, the research points to limitations. First, critically ill patients are defined as people who are hospitalized in the ICU. Second, there may be inappropriate classification of some variables, such as smoking, obesity, etc. Third, participants’ comorbidities were not exhaustively identified.

 

In summary, this study shows for the first time that there is an association between severe COVID-19 infection and cancer diagnosis in the following months, and severe COVID-19 may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer, and more research is needed to determine the relationship between severe COVID-19 and cancer the nature of the relationship between.

 

 

 

 

 

Paper link :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36013-7

Severe COVID-19 illness may be a sign of undiagnosed cancer

(source:internet, reference only)


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