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Clinical presentations and outcomes of children with cancer and COVID‐19: A systematic review
Author(s) -
Meena Jagdish Prasad,
Kumar Gupta Aditya,
Tanwar Pranay,
Ram Jat Kana,
Mohan Pandey Ravindra,
Seth Rachna
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.29005
Subject(s) - medicine , hydroxychloroquine , covid-19 , asymptomatic , pediatrics , pediatric cancer , disease , population , cancer , pandemic , intensive care medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , environmental health
Abstract Information regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) in pediatric oncology is limited. We conducted a systematic review of the available published literature on children with cancer affected by COVID‐19. The last date of the study search was October 20, 2020, and 33 studies comprising 226 children were included for the final analysis. Data were extracted in a predefined data collection form, and the variables were extracted and analyzed. Patients with hematological malignancies were more in number. Males and children on intensive treatment were more frequently affected. Fever was the commonest symptom. The disease was asymptomatic/mild in 48% and severe in 9.6%. Consolidation, peribronchial cuffing, and consolidation with ground glass opacities were the common imaging findings. Hydroxychloroquine was the most frequently used drug for COVID‐19. About 10% of children required intensive care, and about 32% had oxygen requirements. The percentage of children who died due to COVID‐19 was 4.9%. The severity, morbidity, and mortality of COVID‐19 in pediatric oncology were more compared to the general pediatric population. This information can help in risk stratification for the management of COVID‐19.