SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load Predicts Mortality in Patients with and without Cancer Who Are Hospitalized with COVID-19 (original) (raw)

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 viral load and duration of symptoms before hospital admission on the mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Infection

Purpose Assess the impact of viral load estimated by cycle threshold (Ct) of reverse transcription real time-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) and the days from symptoms onset on mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID19. Methods Retrospective observational study of 782 patients with a positive rRT-PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab was performed within the first 24 h from admission. Demographic data, clinical manifestations and laboratory parameters were collected. Uni-and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with mortality at 60 days. Results Ct was divided into three groups and the mortality rate decreased from 27.3 to 20.7% and 9.8% for Ct values of ≤ 20, 21-25 and > 25, respectively (P = 0.0001). The multivariate analysis identified as predictors of mortality, a Ct value < 20 (OR 3.13, CI 95% 1.38-7.10), between 21-25 (OR 2.47, CI 95% 1.32-4.64) with respect to a Ct value > 25. Days from symptoms onset is a variable associated with mortality as well (DSOA) ≤ 6 (OR 1.86, CI 95% 1.00-3.46), among other factors. Patients requiring hospital admission within 6 DSOA with a Ct value ≤ 25 had the highest mortality rate (28%). Conclusions The inclusion of Ct values and DSOA in the characterization of study populations could be a useful tool to evaluate the efficacy of antivirals. Keywords COVID-19 • Viral load • Ct value • Days of symptoms • Mortality The members of COVID-19-Researcher Group are listed in Acknowledgements.

ArticlePresenting features and early mortality from SARS-CoV

2020

We describe the outcomes in cancer patients during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 in Europe from the retrospective, multi-center observational OnCovid study. We identified 204 cancer patients from eight centers in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain aged > 18 (mean = 69) and diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 26th and April 1st, 2020. A total of 127 (62%) were male, 184 (91%) had a diagnosis of solid malignancy, and 103 (51%) had non-metastatic disease. A total of 161 (79%) had > 1 co-morbidity. A total of 141 (69%) patients had > 1 COVID-19 complication. A total of 36 (19%) were escalated to high-dependency or intensive care. A total of 59 (29%) died, 53 (26%) were discharged, and 92 (45%) were in-hospital survivors. Mortality was higher in patients aged > 65 (36% versus 16%), in those with > 2 co-morbidities (40% versus 18%) and developing > 1 complication from COVID-19 (38% versus 4%, p = 0.004). Multi-variable analyses confirmed age > 65 and &gt...

SARS-CoV-2 viral load predicts the severity and mortality in patients with cancer

2021

Emerging evidence suggests that patients with cancer are at increased risk of detrimental Covid-19 outcome. The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and risk factors and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 positive cancer patients remains largely unexplored. We assessed the outcomes of Covid-19 infection in 64 cancer patients and 120 non-cancer and measured SARS-CoV-2 viral load from nasopharyngeal swab samples using cycle threshold (Ct) values who were admitted to two geographically distinct hospitals. We also assessed the incubation period and serial interval time differences between the non-cancer and cancer groups. Our results indicated that the overall mortality rate was higher among cancer patients with a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load. Covid-19 positive cancer patients with higher viral load are more prone to severe outcomes compared to non-cancer and low viral load patients. In addition, patients with lung and hematologic cancer have higher tendencies of severe events in proportion to h...

SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load is Associated with Increased Disease Severity and Mortality

The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and risk of disease progression remains largely undefined in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We quantified SARS-CoV-2 viral load from participants with a diverse range of COVID-19 severity, including those requiring hospitalization, outpatients with mild disease, and individuals with resolved infection. SARS-CoV-2 plasma RNA was detected in 27% of hospitalized participants and 13% of outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19. Amongst the participants hospitalized with COVID-19, higher prevalence of detectable SARS-CoV-2 plasma viral load was associated with worse respiratory disease severity, lower absolute lymphocyte counts, and increased markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein and IL-6. SARS-CoV-2 viral loads, especially plasma viremia, were associated with increased risk of mortality. SARS-CoV-2 viral load may aid in the risk stratification of patients with COVID-19 and its role in disease pathogenesis should be further ...

SARS-CoV-2 viral load at presentation to hospital is independently associated with the risk of death

Journal of Infection, 2021

Objectives Previous studies have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 viral load, measured on upper respiratory tract samples at presentation to hospital using PCR Cycle threshold (Ct) value, has prognostic utility. However, these studies have not comprehensively adjusted for factors known to be intimately related to viral load. We aimed to evaluate the association between Ct value at admission and patient outcome whilst adjusting carefully for covariates. Methods We evaluated the association between Ct value at presentation and the outcomes of ICU admission and death, in patients hospitalised during the first wave of the pandemic in Southampton, UK. We adjusted for covariates including age, duration of illness and antibody sero-status, measured by neutralisation assay. Results 185 patients were analysed, with a median [IQR] Ct value of 27.9 [22.6-32.1]. On univariate analysis the Ct value at presentation was associated with the risk of both ICU admission and death. In addition, Ct value significantly differed according to age, the duration of illness at presentation and antibody sero-status. On multivariate analysis, Ct value was independently associated with risk of death (aOR 0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.96; p = 0.011) but not ICU admission (aOR 1.04, 95% CI 0.93-1.16; p = 0.507). Neutralising antibody status at presentation was not associated with mortality or ICU admission (aOR 10.62, 95% CI 0.47-889; p = 0.199 and aOR 0.46, 95% CI 0.10-2.00; p = 0.302, respectively). Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 Ct value on admission to hospital was independently associated with mortality, when comprehensively adjusting for other factors and could be used for risk stratification.

Clinical profile and mortality of Sars-Cov-2 infection in cancer patients across two pandemic time periods (Feb 2020–Sep 2020; Sep 2020–May 2021) in the Veneto Oncology Network: The ROVID study

European Journal of Cancer, 2022

Introduction: We analyzed a cohort of patients with cancer and Sars-Cov-2 infection from the Veneto Oncology Network registry across two pandemic time periods. Materials and methods: 761 patients with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Results: 198 patients were diagnosed during the first pandemic time period (TP1; February 2020 September 2020), 494 during TP2 before the vaccination campaign (TP2/pre-vaccination; September 2020-21 February 2021) and 69 in TP2/post-vaccination (22 February 2021-15 May 2021). TP2 vs TP1 patients were younger (p Z 0.004), showed more frequently a good performance status (p < 0.001) and <2 comorbidities (p Z 0.002), were more likely to be on active anticancer therapy (p Z 0.006). Significantly fewer patients in TP2 (3-4%) vs TP1 (22%) had an in-hospital potential source of infection (p < 0.001). TP2 patients were more frequently asymptomatic (p Z 0.003). Significantly fewer patients from TP2 were hospitalized (p < 0.001) or admitted to intensive care unit (p Z 0.006). All-cause mortality decreased from 30.3% in TP1, to 8.9% and 8.7% in the two TP2 periods (p < 0.001), reflected by a significant reduction in Sars-Cov-2-related mortality (15.2%, 7.5% and 5.8% in the three consecutive time periods, p Z 0.004). Conclusions: Differences in clinical characteristics and features of Sars-Cov-2 infection between TP1 and TP2 reflect the effects of protective measures and increased testing capacity. The lower mortality in TP2 is in line with a less frail population. However, the vast majority of death events in TP2 were related to COVID-19, reinforcing the priority to protect cancer patients.

Lack of Association of Initial Viral Load in SARS-CoV-2 Patients with In-Hospital Mortality

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

ABSTRACTControversy exists in the literature regarding the possible prognostic implications of the nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load. We carried out a retrospective observational study of 169 patients, 96 (58.9%) of whom had a high viral load and the remaining had a low viral load. Compared with patients with a low viral load, patients with a high viral load did not exhibit differences regarding preexisting cardiovascular risk factors or comorbidities. There were no differences in symptoms, vital signs, or laboratory tests in either group, except for the maximum cardiac troponin I (cTnI), which was higher in the group with a higher viral load (24 [interquartile range 9.5–58.5] versus 8.5 [interquartile range 3–22.5] ng/L, P = 0.007). There were no differences in the need for hospital admission, admission to the intensive care unit, or the need for mechanical ventilation in clinical management. In-hospital mortality was greater in patients who had a higher viral load than in those...

SARS-CoV-2 infection: Initial viral load (iVL) predicts severity of illness/outcome, and declining trend of iVL in hospitalized patients corresponds with slowing of the pandemic

PLOS ONE, 2021

Background Hospitalization of patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have remained considerable worldwide. Patients often develop severe complications and have high mortality rates. The cycle threshold (Ct) value derived from nasopharyngeal swab samples using real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) may be a useful prognostic marker in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, its role in predicting the course of the pandemic has not been evaluated thus far. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study which included all patients who had a nasopharyngeal sample positive for SARS-CoV-2 between April 4 –June 5, 2020. The Ct value was used to estimate the number of viral particles in a patient sample. The trend in initial viral load on admission on a population level was evaluated. Moreover, patient characteristics and outcomes stratified by viral load categories were compared and initial viral load was assessed as an ...

Effects of SARS-COV-2 Viral Infection on Cancer Patients: A Biological and Statistical Study during the COVID-19 Outbreak

American Journal of Applied Bio-Technology Research, 2020

The novel COVID-19 Pandemic has affected the World terribly causing death of more than 500,000 people, affecting over 200 countries and demolishing the World Economy. As prior studies and researches suggest, cancer patients are generally considered more prone to the viral infections owing to various relevant reasons. Therefore, a systematic analysis of cancer patients affected by COVID-19 is highly required. In this paper, data from several performed experiments in many multi-centred studies are included and evaluated to draw conclusions, specifically focusing on the age-matched non-cancer patients confirmed with COVID-19. The results suggests that COVID-19 patients with cancer had higher risks in all severe outcomes [1]. Patients with hematologic cancer, lung cancer, or with metastatic cancer (stage IV) had minimum survival chances. Patients with non-metastatic cancer also showed similar results to those observed in patients without cancer. Patients who received surgery had low mor...