Abstract PS6-47: Breast cancer and COVID-19: Impact of active treatment on severe outcomes

Abstract

Abstract Background: Several reports have observed that cancer patients who recently underwent chemotherapy or surgery had a higher risk of severe events compared with patients without cancer. Limited data is available on outcomes in specific cancer types, as well as the impact of non-cytotoxic systemic treatment, such as targeted therapy and hormonal therapy on severe outcomes. We aim to identify whether active treatment impacts severe outcomes (rate of hospitalization, ICU admission, intubation, and death) in breast cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a multicenter study in the state of Louisiana, throughout the Ochsner Health System, in both tertiary and non-tertiary centers. Patients must carry a diagnosis of breast cancer, and have a completed SARS-CoV-2 test between March 1st and April 30th, 2020. Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests were performed to compare the proportion of patients experiencing severe outcomes between treatment groups. Results: As of April 30, 2020, a total of 70 patients with breast cancer who had a positive SARS-COV-2 test were identified. Median age 64.5, median BMI 30.8, 62.9% (n=44) black, 27.1% (n=19) current/former smokers, HTN (n=52) and DM2 (n=22) were the most common comorbidities, and 12.9% (n=9) of patients had stage IV disease. Of these patients, 58.6% (n=41) were on hormonal treatment, and another 12.9% (n=9) were receiving other forms of systemic therapy (cytotoxic chemotherapy or targeted therapy). In terms of severe outcomes, 32.9% (n=23) of patients required hospitalization, 8.6% (n=6) required ICU admission with 7.1% (n=5) patients requiring intubation, 11.4% (n=8) of patients died. There was not a statistical difference in rate of severe outcomes (rate of hospitalization, ICU admission, intubation, and death) among breast cancer patients receiving active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or hormonal therapy) vs those receiving no active treatment. There was also no difference in terms of severe outcomes by race. Conclusion: With an ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to identify how the treatment and management of cancer impacts COVID-19 outcomes. This small cohort does not identify active treatment as a risk factor for increased rate of severe outcomes in patients with breast cancer. Further analyses describing impact of specific hormonal and chemotherapy regimens on risk of hospitalization and death will be completed by time of presentation. Citation Format: Karine Tawagi, Jeff Burton, Michael Lunski, Diana Maslov, John Cole. Breast cancer and COVID-19: Impact of active treatment on severe outcomes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS6-47.