Risk for Severe COVID-19 Elevated for Childhood Cancer Survivors
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 -- Childhood cancer survivors have a lower risk for registered COVID-19 infection but a higher risk for severe COVID-19, according to a study published online July 4 in The Lancet Regional Health: Europe.
Javier Louro, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined whether adult childhood cancer survivors had a higher risk for severe COVID-19 and registered COVID-19 infections than the general population in a Nordic register-based cohort study. Five-year childhood cancer survivors diagnosed before age 20 years in Denmark and Sweden were included in the study and were matched with randomly selected individuals from the general population on year of birth, sex, and country as well as with siblings of the survivors. A total of 13,659 cancer survivors, 58,803 matched comparators, and 17,531 siblings were included in the cohort.
The researchers found that the risk for registered COVID-19 infection was significantly lower for childhood cancer survivors compared with comparators (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.91), but the risk for severe COVID-19 was higher (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.58). During periods of widespread viral transmission, the elevated risk was particularly evident.
"Our results suggest that childhood cancer survivors should be considered a risk group in future pandemics or other health crises," Louro said in a statement. "This could involve prioritizing them for vaccination or offering special protection during periods of high transmission."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2025
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
One in 10 Undergoing Early Cancer Surgery Have New Persistent Opioid Use
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2025 -- More than one in 10 veterans undergoing surgery for early-stage cancer develop new persistent opioid use, according to a study published online Sept. 8 in...
Healthy Plant-Based Diet May Cut Burden of Multimorbidity of Cancer and Cardiometabolic Diseases
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2025 -- Among middle-aged and older adults, a healthy plant-based diet may reduce the burden of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases, according to a study...
Moderate-to-Severe TBI Linked to Malignant Brain Tumor Risk
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2025 -- A history of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with an increased risk for developing malignant brain tumors, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.