SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Pediatric Oncology Population: The Definitive Comprehensive Report of the Infectious Diseases Working Group of AIEOP.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this study was to assess the clinical impact and outcome of the SARS-CoV-2 infection on children with cancer or those who received a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

METHODS:

AIEOP (Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology) performed a nationwide multicenter observational cohort study, including consecutive patients between April 2020 and November 2022.

RESULTS:

Twenty-five Italian centers participated and 455 patients were enrolled. We reported a significant increasing trend of symptomatic cases over the years, while the number of nonmild infections remained stable. Early infection after oncologic diagnosis (<60 days) and severe neutropenia were identified as independent risk factors for developing moderate, severe, or critical infections. The percentage of patients who were asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic and who stopped chemotherapy reduced over the years of the pandemic. Nine patients died, but no death was attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

CONCLUSIONS:

SARS-CoV-2 infection presented a self-limiting benign course in the Italian pediatric oncohematology population during the pandemic, and its main consequence has been the discontinuation of cancer-directed therapies. The rate of patients who were asymptomatic and stopped chemotherapy reduced over the years, suggesting that the continuation of chemotherapy is a feasible option.

• Authors: Daniele Zama, Andrea Zanaroli, Agnese Corbelli, Andrea Lo Vecchio, Margherita Del Bene, Antonella Colombini, Francesca Compagno, Angelica Barone, Ilaria Fontanili, Maria Rosaria D'Amico, Maria Rosaria Papa, Maria Grazia Petris, Elisabetta Calore, Shana Montalto, Linda Meneghello, Letizia Brescia, Rosamaria Mura, Milena La Spina, Paola Muggeo, Simona Rinieri, Cristina Meazza, Katia Perruccio, Monica Cellini, Manuela Spadea, Federico Mercolini, Valeria Petroni, Raffaella De Santis, Elena Soncini, Massimo Provenzi, Nagua Giurici, Ottavio Ziino, Gloria Tridello, Simone Cesaro
• Journal: The Journal of infectious diseases (J Infect Dis) Vol. 229 Issue 4 Pg. 1050-1058 (Apr 12 2024) ISSN: 1537-6613 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 37962869 (Publication Type: Observational Study, Multicenter Study, Journal Article)
• Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].

Topics

• Child
• Humans
• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• Neoplasms (complications, therapy, epidemiology)
• Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (adverse effects)
• Communicable Diseases