Developing a risk assessment score for cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic

Indini, Alice; Rijavec, Erika; Ghidini, Michele; Cattaneo, Monica; Grossi, Francesco

The novel coronavirus (CoV) pandemic is a serious threat for cancer patients, who have an immunocompromised status, and are considered at high risk for infections. Data on the novel CoV respiratory disease (COVID-19) in cancer patients are still limited. Unlike other common viruses, CoV have not shown to cause a more severe disease in immunocompromised subjects. Along with direct viral pathogenicity, in some individuals CoV infection triggers an uncontrolled aberrant inflammatory response, leading to lung tissue damage. In cancer patients treated with immunotherapy (e.g. immune-checkpoint inhibitors), COVID-19 may therefore represent a serious threat. After a thorough review of the literature on CoV pathogenesis and cancer, we selected several shared features to define which patients can be considered at higher risk for COVID-19. We combined these clinical and laboratory variables, with the aim of developing a score to weight the risk of COVID-19 in cancer patients.