Resumen de Case–control study assessing the impact of COVID19 in advanced kidney cancer patients treated with antiangiogenics or immunotherapy: the COVID-REN study
Jesús García-Donas Jiménez, Guillermo de Velasco Oria de Rueda, Rodrigo Madurga, Jesús Chamorro, Diana Rosero, Olatz Etxaniz Ulazia, José Luis Pérez Gracia, Alvaro Pinto Marín, Diego Cacho Lavín, María Barba, Pablo Borrega García, Martin Lázaro Quintela, Laura Rodríguez Lajusticia, María Laura Villalobos León, Lourdes García, Andrés Cuellar, María del Pilar Solís Hernández, Amalia González, Cristina Pernau, Juan Francisco Rodríguez Moreno
Background Cancer is a risk factor for developing severe COVID19. Additionally, SARS-CoV2 has a special tropism for renal cells and complications like thrombosis or cytokine storm could be enhanced by standard treatments in kidney cancer (i.e., antiangiogenics or immunotherapy). Thus, understanding the impact of COVID19 in patients with this tumor is key for their correct management.
Methods We designed a retrospective case–control study comparing the outcome of three groups of advanced kidney cancer patients on systemic treatment: cohort A (developed COVID19 while on antiangiogenics), cohort B (developed COVID19 while on immunotherapy) and cohort C (non-infected). Matching factors were age, gender, and treatment.
Results 95 patients were recruited in 16 centers in Spain from September 2020 to May 2021. Finally, 85 were deemed as eligible (23 cohort A, 21 cohort B, 41 cohort C).
Patients with COVID required more dose interruptions (25 vs. six) and hospitalizations (10 vs. none) than those without COVID (both p = 0.001). No difference between cohorts A and B was observed regarding hospitalization or length of stay. No ICU admission was registered and one patient in cohort B died due to COVID19. Regarding cancer evolution, three patients in cohort A presented progressive disease after COVID19 compared to two in cohort B. One case in cohort B, initially deemed as stable disease, achieved a partial response after COVID19.
Conclusions Kidney cancer patients who developed COVID19 while on systemic therapy required more treatment interruptions and hospitalizations than those non-infected. However, no significant impact on cancer outcome was observed. Also, no difference was seen between cases on antiangiogenics or immunotherapy.
