Case Fatality Rate of Cancer Patients with COVID-19 in a New York Hospital System.

Cancer patients are presumed to be at increased risk from COVID-19 infection fatality due to underlying malignancy, treatment-related immunosuppression, or increased comorbidities. A total of 218 COVID-19 positive patients from March 18th-April 8th, 2020 with a malignant diagnosis were identified. A total of 61 (28%) cancer patients died from COVID-19 with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 37% (20/54) for hematologic malignancies and 25% (41/164) for solid malignancies. 6/11 (55%) lung cancer patients died from COVID-19 disease. Increased mortality was significantly associated with older age, multiple comorbidities, need for ICU support, and elevated levels of D-Dimers, LDH and lactate on multivariable analysis. Age-adjusted CFRs in cancer patients compared to non-cancer patients at our institution and NYC reported a significant increase in case fatality for cancer patients. These data suggest the need for proactive strategies to reduce likelihood of infection and improve early identification in this vulnerable patient population.