Deprecated: Implicit conversion from float 233.6 to int loses precision in C:\Inetpub\vhosts\kidney.de\httpdocs\pget.php on line 534
Deprecated: Implicit conversion from float 233.6 to int loses precision in C:\Inetpub\vhosts\kidney.de\httpdocs\pget.php on line 534 J+Clin+Med 2020 ; 9 (12): ä Nephropedia Template TP
gab.com Text
Twit Text FOAVip
Twit Text #
English Wikipedia
On Cancer, COVID-19, and CT Scans: A Monocentric Retrospective Study #MMPMID33291710
Martini F; D'Alessio A; Bracchi F; Di Mauro D; Fargnoli A; Motta M; Giussani C; Meazza Prina M; Gobbin G; Taverna M
J Clin Med 2020[Dec]; 9 (12): ä PMID33291710show ga
Background The use of computed tomography (CT) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis in an area of northern Italy with a high incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may have identified more patients with this disease than RT-PCR in the very early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 148 chest CT scans of oncological patients who were referred to the Radiological Unit of Policlinico S. Marco from 1 February 2020 to 30 April 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak in Bergamo area. In parallel, we analyzed RT-PCR tests of these 148 patients. Results Among 32 patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19, 17 patients were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms (53.1%), while 15 developed severe disease (46.8%). The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 22.9%, the mortality rate was 18.8%. We did not find any correlation between disease severity and age, sex, smoking, or cardiovascular comorbidities. Remarkably, patients who were on treatment for cancer developed a milder disease than patients who were not on treatment. Conclusions The acceptance of CT-defined diagnoses in COVID-19 high-incidence areas like Bergamo region highlighted a larger oncological population affected by COVID-19 than RT-PCR, in particular, asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients, because only symptomatic patients underwent nasopharyngeal swabbing at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed that patients actively treated for their cancer had a milder disease, in agreement with previous studies that suggested a protective role of immunosuppression. Admittedly, the sample of patients in our study was heterogeneous regarding the oncological disease, their prognosis, and the type of treatment; therefore, other studies are needed to confirm our data.