SARS-CoV-2 in cancer patients
Background
During the coronary epidemic, cancer patients now have many questions. The Cancer Registry wants to contribute information that can be useful for this patient group with regard to both the risk of infection and whether these patients are exposed to a more severe course and death than the rest of the population. In addition, knowledge of this could help in balancing the risk of infection with cancer treatment with an assessment of the intensity of treatment and the number of hospital visits. Furthermore, questions will gradually arise as to whether diagnostics, including screening and treatment, have been affected to such an extent that it has consequences for the population and patients.
Purpose
We will compare cancer patients with the general population and adjust for age, gender and geographical area. We will specifically investigate:
The prevalence of infection in cancer patients versus the general population.
Risk of hospitalization, severe course and death in cancer patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the rest of the population.
About patients with specific cancers and specific stages of disease that are particularly vulnerable.
Whether certain treatments are associated with increased risk (active treatment versus post-treatment control, types of treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and other relevant treatments).
Whether changes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients, changes in screening routines and fewer summonses of patients are important for the stage at diagnosis, treatment outcome and follow-up.
Design
This is a link of registers of everyone in Norway with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection that is registered in the Notification System for Infectious Diseases (MSIS). This data set is supplemented with data from the Cancer Registry, the Norwegian Intensive Care and Pandemic Register, the Norwegian Patient Register, the Cause of Death Register and the Prescription Register.
