Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among the staff and patients of a French cancer centre after first lockdown: The canSEROcov study

Abstract

Background In view of the potential gravity of SARS-CoV-2 infection for patients with cancer, epidemiological data are vital to assess virus circulation among patients and staff of cancer centres. We performed a prospective study to investigate seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among staff and cancer patients at a large cancer centre, at the end of the period of first national lockdown in France, and to determine factors associated with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods After the first lockdown, all medical and non-medical staff, and all patients attending the medical oncology department were invited to undergo serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 between 11 May and 30 June 2020. All participants were also invited to complete a questionnaire collecting data about their living and working conditions, and for patients, medical management during lockdown. Findings A total of 1,674 subjects (663 staff members, 1011 patients) were included. Seroprevalence was low in both staff (1.8%) and patients (1.7%), despite more features of high risk for severe forms among patients. None of the risk factors tested in our analysis (working or living conditions, comorbidities, management characteristics during lockdown) was found to be statistically associated with seroprevalence in either staff or patients. There was no significant difference in the proportion of symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects between staff and patients. Only fever, loss of smell and loss of taste were significantly more frequent among seropositive patients, in both staff and patients. Interpretation We report very low seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the staff (caregiving and non-caregiving) and patients of a large cancer care centre in which strict hygiene, personal protection and social distancing measures were implemented.

Anosmia but Not Ageusia as a COVID-19-Related Symptom among Cancer Patients—First Results from the PAPESCO-19 Cohort Study

“…However, in our population of cancer patients, diarrhea was reported in 21.4% of COVID+ cases and in 4% of COVID-; similarly for the HCWs, these figures were 31.5 and 13.7%, respectively. These data were in accordance with what has been observed in the literature, with gastrointestinal incidence (mainly diarrhea) ranging from 4 to 50% of cases [27,41].…”

“…Studies reporting associations between seroprevalence and self-reported symptoms for healthcare workers (HCWs) found that fever, malaise, and fatigue were especially common alongside anosmia and ageusia [ 25 , 26 ]. However, little is known about HCWs from oncology departments and cancer centers despite the fact that they have been a under major strain during the pandemic [ 27 , 28 ].…”

“…In France, only one cross-sectional study reported significantly more frequent anosmia and ageusia in seropositive cancer patients and HCWs than in seronegative ones. This was demonstrated by analyzing factors associated with the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 after the first lockdown among two small populations of seropositive patients and HCWs from a single cancer center in Burgundy [ 27 ]. Therefore, more research is needed to investigate the predictive values of COVID-19-related symptom patterns in patients undergoing cancer treatments.…”

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in 860 cancer patients with a combined screening procedure including triage, molecular nasopharyngeal swabs and rapid serological test. A report from the first epidemic wave

“…Since the start of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, it soon became clear that patients with cancer represent a very vulnerable population with a high risk of severe COVID-19 and a high mortality rate [ 12 , 13 , 17 – 21 ]. For this reason, both the oncological and hematological societies recommend constant and careful screening to identify and isolate SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, avoiding infection spreading among this very frail population [ 22 – 25 ].…”

“…In this scenario the management of cancer patients underling antineoplastic therapy remains very challenging [ 9 – 15 ]. Furthermore, in patients with solid and hematological tumors, a clinical anamnestic screening by specific triage alone may not be appropriate to intercept SARS-CoV-2 infection cases since some of the symptoms of malignancy may be similar as those of SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 16 , 17 ]. For this reason, it is important, in cancer populations, especially in the outpatient setting, to define the most effective and targeted monitoring strategies in order to detect, as accurately as possible, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a definite temporal context and geographical area.…”