Nutritional status in patients with COVID-19 and cancer: the experience of the National Cancer Institute in Mexico.

Pérez Camargo, Dana Aline; Vargas Gutiérrez, Gaspar; Rivera Franco, Mónica M; Labana Ramírez, Anabel; Castro Herrera, Monserrat; Urbalejo Ceniceros, Víctor Itaí; Copca Mendoza, Erika Thalia; Loyola Serrano, Osiris; Baltazar Luna, Eréndira; Meneses García, Abelardo; Herrera Gómez, Ángel; González Enciso, Aarón; Sevilla González, María de la Luz

BACKGROUND nutritional status might vary according to different underlying illnesses such as cancer or infectious diseases, including COVID-19. In this context, data from developing countries remain scarce. OBJECTIVES the objective of this study was to assess the nutritional status and outcomes of Mexican cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at a tertiary care center. METHODS this was a retrospective study including 121 consecutive cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at the National Cancer Institute, Mexico City, during four months. RESULTS the most frequent oncological diagnoses were gynecological (19 %) and hematological (17 %). Most patients were overweight (35 %). In the univariate analysis, ≥ 65 years, intubation, hypoalbuminemia, high creatinine, lymphopenia, nutrition-impact symptoms, and ECOG 2-4 were statistically associated with lower survival. The median survival of the cohort was 41 days. CONCLUSIONS to our best knowledge, this is the first study of its kind performed in Mexico, and as other studies from other regions, our results might aid in identifying cancer patients most at risk for severe COVID-19, and could be potentially useful to enhance public health messaging on self-isolation and social distancing among Mexican cancer patients.