Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33842150›Full record

ArticleCureus2021

Prevalence of COVID-19 Infection in Asymptomatic Cancer Patients in a District With High Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Italy.

Luigi Cavanna, Chiara Citterio, Camilla Di Nunzio, Claudia Biasini, Maria Angela Palladino, Massimo Ambroggi, Serena Madaro, Livia Bidin, Rosa Porzio, Manuela Proietto

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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  4. Risk stratification by anamnesis increases SARS-CoV-2 test efficiency in cancer patients.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2022
    Article
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  7. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Luigi CavannaOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Chiara CitterioOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Camilla Di NunzioOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Claudia BiasiniOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Maria Angela PalladinoOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Massimo AmbroggiOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Serena MadaroOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Livia BidinOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Rosa PorzioOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Manuela ProiettoOnco-Hematology, Hospital Piacenza, Piacenza, ITA.
Ospedaliera di Piacenza · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Cancer patients are presumed a frail group at high risk to contract coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection in asymptomatic cancer patients attending the outpatient clinic of a general hospital in a region with a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (North Italy, first wave). Methods We retrospectively analyzed data of consecutive cancer patients attending the outpatient clinic of the oncology unit, General Hospital of Piacenza. All the patients having underlying cancer, without clinical suspicion of COVID-19, attending the outpatient clinic underwent nasopharyngeal swabs, from April 3, 2020 to June 3, 2020 and were included in this study. Results In a two-month period, 260 consecutive, asymptomatic (for COVID-19) cancer patients were tested for COVID-19. There were 160 women and 100 men; 218 patients were under active anticancer treatment, 32 in the diagnostic/staging phase waiting for treatment, and 10 treated with supportive care only. Ten of the 260 patients (3.85%) showed COVID-19 positivity. All but one (treated with hormone therapy) of the COVID-19 positive patients delayed anticancer treatment. The mean delay of anticancer treatment was 45.86±27.66 days (range 21-87 days), and the mean time for viral clearance was 25.7±22.68 days (range 7-79 days). All the 10 patients with COVID-19 and cancer overcame the infection, and treated patients could restart anticancer treatment. Conclusion Our data indicate a high prevalence of COVID-19 in cancer patients in an area with a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Routine COVID-19 testing of cancer patients when asymptomatic allowed an early detection, isolation, and treatment, avoiding viral spread among other frail patients and among medical/nurse staff.

Indexed as

cancercovid-19 prevalencesars-cov-2

Identifiers

PMID33842150
PMCPMC8027955
OpenAlexW3134188867

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.