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TOPLINE: COVID-19 infection is associated with a 25% reduction in cancer risk over 3 years among veterans who survived the initial infection. This protective effect was observed across sexes and racial groups, with stronger benefits seen in older patients and those with mild disease.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing Veterans who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 15, 2020, and November 30, 2020, to those who tested negative.
Analysis included 499,396 veterans, with 88,590 (17.2%) COVID-19 positive and 427,566 (82.8%) COVID-19 negative patients, with mean (SD) ages of 57.9 (16.4) and 59.5 (15.8) years, respectively.
Investigators utilized Cox proportional hazard regression models to determine the hazard ratio of new cancer diagnosis within a three-year follow-up period.
Patient characteristics included age, race, ethnicity, sex, BMI, smoking status, and various comorbidities as covariates in the analysis.
TAKEAWAY:
For patients surviving ≥ 30 days after COVID-19 testing, infection was associated with a 25% reduction in cancer hazard (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.73-0.77).
The reduction in cancer risk was similar across sexes and races, with the exception of Asians, and showed greater decreases with advancing age above 45 years.
Patients with mild COVID-19 showed the strongest reduction in cancer risk (adjusted HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.70-0.74), while those with moderate COVID-19 showed an 11% reduction (adjusted HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83-0.93), and severe COVID-19 showed no significant reduction in cancer risk.
IN PRACTICE: "Regarding age, the incidence of cancer appeared to decrease with each decade of life in the COVID-19 group compared to that in the non-exposed group,” the authors noted. “This is surprising, given that cancer diagnoses typically increase with age.”
SOURCE: The study was led by researchers at the Miami Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center and was published online on August 25 in PLoS One.
LIMITATIONS: The findings of this retrospective and observational study should be interpreted with caution. Results may not be generalizable beyond the predominantly male, older veteran population. The 3-year follow-up period may be insufficient to fully understand long-term cancer incidence patterns. Researchers could not capture all COVID-19 reinfection cases due to testing occurring outside the Veterans Affairs system, including at-home testing. The impact of vaccination status and reinfection on cancer risk could not be fully assessed, as the initial study cohort was grouped prior to vaccine availability.
DISCLOSURES: The authors report no financial support was received for this study and declare no competing interests.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
TOPLINE: COVID-19 infection is associated with a 25% reduction in cancer risk over 3 years among veterans who survived the initial infection. This protective effect was observed across sexes and racial groups, with stronger benefits seen in older patients and those with mild disease.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing Veterans who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 15, 2020, and November 30, 2020, to those who tested negative.
Analysis included 499,396 veterans, with 88,590 (17.2%) COVID-19 positive and 427,566 (82.8%) COVID-19 negative patients, with mean (SD) ages of 57.9 (16.4) and 59.5 (15.8) years, respectively.
Investigators utilized Cox proportional hazard regression models to determine the hazard ratio of new cancer diagnosis within a three-year follow-up period.
Patient characteristics included age, race, ethnicity, sex, BMI, smoking status, and various comorbidities as covariates in the analysis.
TAKEAWAY:
For patients surviving ≥ 30 days after COVID-19 testing, infection was associated with a 25% reduction in cancer hazard (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.73-0.77).
The reduction in cancer risk was similar across sexes and races, with the exception of Asians, and showed greater decreases with advancing age above 45 years.
Patients with mild COVID-19 showed the strongest reduction in cancer risk (adjusted HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.70-0.74), while those with moderate COVID-19 showed an 11% reduction (adjusted HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83-0.93), and severe COVID-19 showed no significant reduction in cancer risk.
IN PRACTICE: "Regarding age, the incidence of cancer appeared to decrease with each decade of life in the COVID-19 group compared to that in the non-exposed group,” the authors noted. “This is surprising, given that cancer diagnoses typically increase with age.”
SOURCE: The study was led by researchers at the Miami Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center and was published online on August 25 in PLoS One.
LIMITATIONS: The findings of this retrospective and observational study should be interpreted with caution. Results may not be generalizable beyond the predominantly male, older veteran population. The 3-year follow-up period may be insufficient to fully understand long-term cancer incidence patterns. Researchers could not capture all COVID-19 reinfection cases due to testing occurring outside the Veterans Affairs system, including at-home testing. The impact of vaccination status and reinfection on cancer risk could not be fully assessed, as the initial study cohort was grouped prior to vaccine availability.
DISCLOSURES: The authors report no financial support was received for this study and declare no competing interests.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
TOPLINE: COVID-19 infection is associated with a 25% reduction in cancer risk over 3 years among veterans who survived the initial infection. This protective effect was observed across sexes and racial groups, with stronger benefits seen in older patients and those with mild disease.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing Veterans who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 15, 2020, and November 30, 2020, to those who tested negative.
Analysis included 499,396 veterans, with 88,590 (17.2%) COVID-19 positive and 427,566 (82.8%) COVID-19 negative patients, with mean (SD) ages of 57.9 (16.4) and 59.5 (15.8) years, respectively.
Investigators utilized Cox proportional hazard regression models to determine the hazard ratio of new cancer diagnosis within a three-year follow-up period.
Patient characteristics included age, race, ethnicity, sex, BMI, smoking status, and various comorbidities as covariates in the analysis.
TAKEAWAY:
For patients surviving ≥ 30 days after COVID-19 testing, infection was associated with a 25% reduction in cancer hazard (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.73-0.77).
The reduction in cancer risk was similar across sexes and races, with the exception of Asians, and showed greater decreases with advancing age above 45 years.
Patients with mild COVID-19 showed the strongest reduction in cancer risk (adjusted HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.70-0.74), while those with moderate COVID-19 showed an 11% reduction (adjusted HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83-0.93), and severe COVID-19 showed no significant reduction in cancer risk.
IN PRACTICE: "Regarding age, the incidence of cancer appeared to decrease with each decade of life in the COVID-19 group compared to that in the non-exposed group,” the authors noted. “This is surprising, given that cancer diagnoses typically increase with age.”
SOURCE: The study was led by researchers at the Miami Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center and was published online on August 25 in PLoS One.
LIMITATIONS: The findings of this retrospective and observational study should be interpreted with caution. Results may not be generalizable beyond the predominantly male, older veteran population. The 3-year follow-up period may be insufficient to fully understand long-term cancer incidence patterns. Researchers could not capture all COVID-19 reinfection cases due to testing occurring outside the Veterans Affairs system, including at-home testing. The impact of vaccination status and reinfection on cancer risk could not be fully assessed, as the initial study cohort was grouped prior to vaccine availability.
DISCLOSURES: The authors report no financial support was received for this study and declare no competing interests.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.