This study of COVID-19 positive patients with cancer reports a case fatality rates of 2-3 times the age-specific percentages seen in non-cancer patients with COVID-19.

The authors examined 218 COVID-19 positive patients with cancer who were treated at Montefiore Health system in New York from March 18th-April 8th, 2020. These included 164 (75%) patients with solid tumors and 54 (25%) with hematologic malignancies. This cohort included 127 (58%) males and 91 (42%) females. The cohort was predominantly composed of adult patients (215/218, 98.6%) with a median age of 69 years (range 10-92 years).

Using age-adjusted analyses, they found:

• 61 (28%) cancer patients died from COVID-19
• The case fatality rate (CFR) was 37% (20/54) for hematologic malignancies and 25% (41/164) for solid malignancies.
• 6/11 (55%) lung cancer patients died from COVID-19 disease
• Increased mortality was significantly associated with older age, multiple comorbidities, need for ICU support, and elevated levels of D-Dimers, LDH and lactate