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Case–control study assessing the impact of COVID19 in advanced kidney cancer patients treated with antiangiogenics or immunotherapy: the COVID-REN study

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Abstract

Background

Cancer is a risk factor for developing severe COVID19. Additionally, SARS-CoV2 has a special tropism for renal cells and complications like thrombosis or cytokine storm could be enhanced by standard treatments in kidney cancer (i.e., antiangiogenics or immunotherapy). Thus, understanding the impact of COVID19 in patients with this tumor is key for their correct management.

Methods

We designed a retrospective case–control study comparing the outcome of three groups of advanced kidney cancer patients on systemic treatment: cohort A (developed COVID19 while on antiangiogenics), cohort B (developed COVID19 while on immunotherapy) and cohort C (non-infected). Matching factors were age, gender, and treatment.

Results

95 patients were recruited in 16 centers in Spain from September 2020 to May 2021. Finally, 85 were deemed as eligible (23 cohort A, 21 cohort B, 41 cohort C).

Patients with COVID required more dose interruptions (25 vs. six) and hospitalizations (10 vs. none) than those without COVID (both p = 0.001). No difference between cohorts A and B was observed regarding hospitalization or length of stay. No ICU admission was registered and one patient in cohort B died due to COVID19. Regarding cancer evolution, three patients in cohort A presented progressive disease after COVID19 compared to two in cohort B. One case in cohort B, initially deemed as stable disease, achieved a partial response after COVID19.

Conclusions

Kidney cancer patients who developed COVID19 while on systemic therapy required more treatment interruptions and hospitalizations than those non-infected. However, no significant impact on cancer outcome was observed. Also, no difference was seen between cases on antiangiogenics or immunotherapy.

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Funding

This study has been funded through an independent educational grant by Pfizer Inc. The sponsor played no role in the execution of the study or manuscript writing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. HM Hospitales-Centro Integral Oncológico Clara Campal, Madrid, Spain

    Jesús García-Donas, María Barba & Juan Francisco Rodríguez-Moreno

  2. Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain

    Guillermo de Velasco

  3. Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain

    Rodrigo Madurga

  4. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

    Jesús Chamorro & Diana Rosero

  5. Hospital Germá Trials I Pujol, Barcelona, Spain

    Olatz Etxaniz

  6. Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

    Jose Luis Pérez-Gracia

  7. Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain

    Álvaro Pinto

  8. Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain

    Diego Cacho

  9. Hospital Universitario de Cáceres, Cáceres, Spain

    Pablo Borrega

  10. Hospital Álvaro Cunqueiro, Vigo, Spain

    Martín Lázaro

  11. Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Rodriguez

  12. Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Villalobos

  13. Hospital de Segovia, Segovia, Spain

    Lourdes García

  14. Institut Català d’Oncologia, Badalona, Spain

    Andrés Cuellar

  15. Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain

    María Pilar Solís-Hernández

  16. Hospital Virgen de la Salud, Toledo, Spain

    Amalia González

  17. Hospital Severo Ochoa, Madrid, Spain

    Cristina Pernaut

Authors
  1. Jesús García-Donas
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  2. Guillermo de Velasco
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  3. Rodrigo Madurga
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  5. Diana Rosero
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  6. Olatz Etxaniz
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  7. Jose Luis Pérez-Gracia
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  8. Álvaro Pinto
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  9. Diego Cacho
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  10. María Barba
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  11. Pablo Borrega
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  12. Martín Lázaro
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  13. Laura Rodriguez
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  14. Laura Villalobos
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  15. Lourdes García
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  16. Andrés Cuellar
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  17. María Pilar Solís-Hernández
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  18. Amalia González
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  19. Cristina Pernaut
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  20. Juan Francisco Rodríguez-Moreno
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jesús García-Donas.

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Conflict of interest

All authors declared no conflict of interest regarding this article.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the ethics committee of every participating institution and the Spanish Food and Drug Agency.

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Every patient provided written or oral consent before being included in this study.

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García-Donas, J., de Velasco, G., Madurga, R. et al. Case–control study assessing the impact of COVID19 in advanced kidney cancer patients treated with antiangiogenics or immunotherapy: the COVID-REN study. Clin Transl Oncol 26, 732–738 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-023-03295-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-023-03295-2

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