Factors Affecting COVID-19 Disease Severity in Breast Cancer Patients: Single-Center Experience

Abstract

Background COVID-19 is one of the pandemics affecting the whole World. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Therefore, the prevalence of COVID-19 increases in breast cancer pateients. In this study, it is aimed to examine the factors that may be effective on COVID-19 disease severity in breast cancer patients. Method This study was carried out as a single-center and retrospective study with a total of 65 patients with a pathological diagnosis of breast cancer who were hospitalized between April 2020 and June 2021, and PCR positive in COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab sample. The patients were divided into two groups, mild and severe. 35 patients were in the mild groups and 30 patients were in the severe group. Patients with oxygen saturation below 93 percent, followed and treated in the intensive care unit, more than 50% lesion increase in chest imaging in the first 24–48 hours, needing non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock and multiple organ failure were included in the severe group. Results a total of 17 parameters that may affect disease severity were analyzed with univariate logistic regression analysis of the Kaplan- Meier test. As a result of the univariate analysis performed to evaluate the potential factors that may affect the severity of the disease, statistically significant differences were found: the patient had diabetes mellitus (P = 0.050), the neutrophil count increased during hospitalization (P = 0.002), the lymphocyte count decreased at admission (P). =0.001), high d-dimer level during hospitalization (P = 0.007), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio above 2.55 (P = 0.016). Discussion As a result, the presence of diabetes mellitus, neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, high D-dimer, increased lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in patients with breast cancer may aggravate the course of COVID-19 disease. These parameters may be predictive for closer follow-up in terms of clinical deterioration of the patients. More recent studies are needed.