SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Italian Veneto region: adverse outcomes in patients with cancer

In 84,246 consecutive Italians tested for SARS-CoV-2, we examined the prevalence of cancer and clinical outcomes of viral infection. Overall, 5.7% (4,789/84,246) had previously been diagnosed with cancer and, among the SARS-CoV-2-positive (CV2+ve) patients, 7.8% had a cancer diagnosis (723/9,275). Prevalence of cancer was not associated with risk of infection (odds ratio of 0.97; 95% confidence interval of 0.89-1.06). The proportion of CV2+ve people hospitalized was higher among patients with cancer (56.6 versus 34.4% among other people), and so was the proportion of deaths (14.7% versus 4.5%). The risk of adverse outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly higher for patients with cancer versus those without, particularly for males and older people. Rugge and colleagues report that patients with cancer, particularly those who are older and male, face a significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection.