Cancer patients make surprising full recovery from Covid-19

More than 98% of the 40-odd Cancer patients who contracted Covid at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology here made a full recovery barring two deaths. The situation is similar at Victoria, Aster CMI, and Majumdar Shaw Medical Centre at Narayana Health that treats Cancer patients.

There is a large body of evidence to suggest that Cancer patients are more prone to develop symptomatic Covid-19 infection and have poor outcomes. While in healthy population mortality is less than 0.6%, earlier reports suggested mortality is as high as 20% in Cancer patients.

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This is suggested to be due to the immunity suppression caused by the Cancer treatment and the Cancer itself. To tackle this, doctors delayed chemotherapy cycles and have seen their patients make a full recovery and resume Cancer treatment.

Dr C Ramachandra, Director, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, said, "More than 98% of the 40-odd Cancer patients got infected with Covid. But they recovered barring two deaths. Compromised immune system and Cancer doesn't always mean death. It all depends on viral load and co-morbidities.

We don't give chemotherapy for one-and-a-half months until they test negative and all symptoms go away. This is the risk we have to take. They will have to be strong enough to withstand chemotherapy."

At Victoria Hospital, patients suffering from breast cancer and thyroid cancer have contracted the virus but have recovered. Dr Manoranjan UD, a General Surgeon, from Victoria Hospital said, "We have withdrawn at least two cycles of anti-Cancer drugs for these patients. They were asymptomatic and had low viral load, hence they recovered. We postponed their chemotherapy cycle for 21 days. T cells in Cancer patients are still functioning and that is what gives them a fighting chance."

Dr Moni Abraham Kuriakose, Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon, from Mazumdar Shah Medical Centre said that the hospital had several Cancer patients returning from abroad testing positive for Covid. "So the general recommendation during Covid pandemic is to continue Cancer treatment but modify treatment regimen to use less immunosuppressive treatment," he said.

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But doctors cautioned that this cannot be representative of all Cancer patients and data from population-based Cancer registry should give a complete picture.

Dr Vijay Agarwal, Medical Oncologist, Aster CMI Hospital, Hebbal, "This is a small number of patients and not a representative of all Cancer patients. By and large most large centres have reported 7% to 8% mortality. We have had six Cancer patients diagnosed with Covid and one died."