Pediatric Hematology Oncology Journal (Jun 2022)

Outcomes of COVID-19 in children with cancer – Report from the Indian Pediatric Oncology Group (InPOG) COVID-19 registry in India

  • Revathi Raj,
  • Ramya Uppuluri,
  • Badira Parambil,
  • Nidhi Dhariwal,
  • Sidharth Totadri,
  • Leni Grace Mathew,
  • Venkatraman Radhakrishnan,
  • Abhishek Charan,
  • Satya Prakash Yadav,
  • Amita Mahajan,
  • Sangeeta Mudaliar,
  • Ratna Sharma,
  • Mamta Manglani,
  • Gaurav Kharya,
  • Nishant Verma,
  • Ramandeep Arora,
  • Niharendu Ghara,
  • Reghu KS,
  • Nita Radhakrishnan,
  • Nisha Iyer,
  • Priti Mehta,
  • Amitabh Singh,
  • Shivani Patel,
  • Joseph John,
  • Sunil Bhat,
  • Shobha Badiger,
  • Sirisharani Siddaiahgari,
  • Shruti Kakkar,
  • Julius Scott,
  • Dhaarani Jayaraman,
  • Arathi Srinivasan,
  • Yamini Krishnan,
  • Ngangbam Sonamani,
  • Ruchira Misra,
  • Vibha Bafna,
  • Rachna Seth,
  • Purvi Kadakia Kutty,
  • Swati Kanakia,
  • Vasudha Rao,
  • Anand Prakash,
  • Vandana Bharadwaj,
  • Girish Chinnasamy

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 2
pp. 34 – 37

Abstract

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Introduction: The clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infection in children with cancer have been variable worldwide. Therefore, we aimed to collect data from all regions in India through a national collaborative study and identify factors that cause mortality directly related to COVID-19 infection. Methods: Data was collected prospectively on children across India on cancer therapy and diagnosed with COVID-19 infections from 47 centers from April 2020 to October 2021. Information was recorded on the demographics, the number of children that required intervention, and the outcome of the infection. In addition, we analyzed the impact of the delta variant in 2021. Results: A total of 659 children were studied, of whom 64% were male and 36% were female. The data from the eastern region was sparse, and this was a collection bias. COVID-19 infection was predominantly seen in children less than five years. The delta variant had a higher impact in the southern region, and this was statistically significant. Of the 659 children, 30 children died (4.5%), however only 7 of the deaths were directly attributed to COVID-19 infection (1%). Conclusion: The study reports the largest nationally representative cohort of children with cancer and COVID-19 to date in India. We identified demographic and clinical factors associated with increased all-cause mortality in patients with cancer. Complete characterization of the cohort has provided further insights into the effects of COVID-19 on cancer outcomes. The low mortality allows us to recommend that specific cancer treatments be continued without delays in therapy.

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