Children with cancer do not have an increased risk for severe COVID-19 infection compared with the healthy paediatric population, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer suggests.
The UK Paediatric Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project was initiated in April 2020 on the lines of a similar project in adult cancer patients.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester analysed prospectively and retrospectively collected data from children and adolescents with cancer aged <16 years managed by Principal Treatment Centres in the UK. All SARS-CoV-2-positive cases were identified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
Of the 54 cases of COVID-19 identified in children between 12 March and 31 July 2020, 15 (28%) had no symptoms, 34 (63%) had mild infection and five (10%) had moderate (n=1), severe (n=1) or critical infections (n=3). Of the three patients who required intensive care support, one had a history of chronic lung disease. None of the critically ill patients died.
Dr Martin Mccabe, one of the authors of the study, said: "The study provides strong evidence that we should continue to treat childhood cancer during the pandemic with the intensive treatments shown to have the best outcomes."