ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Europe2023
Were cancer patients worse off than the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic? A population-based study from Norway, Denmark and Iceland during the pre-vaccination era.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Europe, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Changes in 1-year relative survival of patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden: A population-based cohort study.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Interferon-α Nasal Spray Prophylaxis Reduces COVID-19 in Cancer Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Article
- COVID-19 mortality risk among women with ovarian cancer: a matched case-control study.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas · 2026Article
- [Incidence of COVID-19 in cancer patients from the HIGA Alende, Mar del Plata, Argentina, 2020-2021]Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Medicas (Cordoba, Argentina) · 2025Article
- The COVID-19 pandemic increased the incidence of newly diagnosed cancers: evidence from a large cohort study in Southern Italy.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- RadiOnCOVID: Multicentric Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 on Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy in Italy.Cancers · 2024Article
- Head and Neck Cancer Patient Population, Management, and Oncologic Outcomes from the COVID-19 Pandemic.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2024Observational
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17 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Background: In a population-based setting, we investigated the risks of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 and developing severe COVID-19 outcomes among cancer patients compared with the general population. Methods: In nationwide cohorts, we identified all individuals in Norway, Denmark and Iceland who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 or had a severe COVID-19 outcome (hospitalisation, intensive care, and death) from March until December 2020, using data from national health registries. We estimated standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing cancer patients with the general population. Findings: During the first wave of the pandemic, cancer patients in Norway and Denmark had higher risks of testing SARS-CoV-2 positive compared to the general population. Throughout 2020, recently treated cancer patients were more likely to test SARS-CoV-2 positive. In Iceland, cancer patients experienced no increased risk of testing positive. The risk of COVID-19-related hospitalisation was higher among cancer patients diagnosed within one year of hospitalisation (Norway: SIR = 2.43, 95% CI 1.89-3.09; Denmark: 2.23, 1.96-2.54) and within five years (Norway: 1.58, 1.35-1.83; Denmark: 1.54, 1.42-1.66). Risks were higher in recently treated cancer patients and in those diagnosed with haematologic malignancies, colorectal or lung cancer. Risks of COVID-19-related intensive care and death were higher among cancer patients. Interpretation: Cancer patients were at increased risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the first pandemic wave when testing availability was limited, while relative risks of severe COVID-19 outcomes remained increased in cancer patients throughout 2020. Recent cancer treatment and haematologic malignancy were the strongest risk factors. Funding: Nordic Cancer Union.
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