COVID-19 in Children With Cancer : New Insights

20% of children with cancer who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop severe infections, according to results from the Global Registry of COVID-19 in Childhood Cancer, which was launched by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP).

The registry gathers data on the pandemic’s effect on this unique patient population. The findings were published in The Lancet Oncology.

Childhood Cancer - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Complication & Prevention
Childhood or pediatric cancers occur in children less than 15 years of age. They are rare and differ from adult tumors in their location and behaviour.

‘Children with cancer fare worse with COVID-19 than children without cancer.’

Tweet it Now

This is the first multinational study to describe the outcomes of a large cohort of children and adolescents with cancer or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19. The registry remains open and is enrolling children younger than 19 years old.

The analysis looked at 1,500 children from 131 hospitals in 45 countries from April 15, 2020, to February 1, 2021. This is prior to vaccinations becoming available to older children in some areas of the globe, as well as prior to the emergence of specific disease variants, including delta.

The study found that 65% of patients were hospitalized and 17% required admission or transfer to a higher level of care. It also showed that 4% of patients died due to COVID-19 infections, compared to 0.01-0.7% mortality reported among general pediatric patients.

Proton Beam Therapy for Cancer Treatment
Proton therapy is a form of radiotherapy for cancer treatment which uses a proton beam that is targeted precisely on the tumor cells, destroying them with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Proton therapy can treat various types of cancer.

Cancer care was also affected. Cancer therapy was modified in 56% of patients and 45% had chemotherapy withheld while their infections were treated.

“By working together to create this global registry, we have enabled hospitals around the world to rapidly share and learn how COVID-19 is affecting children with cancer,” said the paper’s co-author, Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones, SIOP president.

COVID in Children | Guidelines for Management of COVID-19 in Children
Covid-19 virus has affected many children during the second wave. Many factors play a role in COVID in children and the management of COVID in children. Therefore, it is highly essential for parents to know and understand the symptoms in children.

The registry suggests biological factors that likely influence how children with cancer respond to COVID-19. Those include immune system function and the underlying disease.

The analysis also showed that outcomes vary around the world, although the registry does not pinpoint causes. This variation may be due to a multitude of factors, including disruptions from the pandemic, access to care and resources, or delays in infection diagnosis.

Cytokines - Part of Body's Defence System
Cytokines are chemical signaling molecules produced by immune cells of our body and help cells in the human body to communicate with each other. They are involved in inducing immune response and growth regulation.

The impact of this disease has been felt in every corner of the world, but particularly in low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. There are critical differences based on where a child lives. This registry is a tool that is helping us understand what that means for children with cancer everywhere.

The registry is still enrolling patients and continues to add new countries. It includes freely available data-visualization tools so that anyone, anywhere, can access the information.

Source-Medindia