Cancer history does not factor in COVID-19, related outcomes among older women

A history of cancer in older women appears to have no negative impact on the risks of COVID-19 and its outcomes, as reported in a study.

Researchers used data from the Women’s Health Initiative, an ongoing cohort study that recruited 161,808 postmenopausal women aged 50–79 years of age from 1993 to 1998. Of these, 35,623 women completed the COVID-19 survey between 2021 and 2022 and were included in the analysis.

Study outcomes included COVID-19 positivity, symptom severity, long COVID, and COVID-related concerns/anxiety. Multivariable linear and logistic regressions were used to evaluate the risks of these outcomes in relation to cancer history.

A total of 9,901 participants (28 percent) had a history of cancer. Cancer survivors and those with no cancer history had similar risks of COVID-19 positivity (odds ratio [OR], 0.94, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.81–1.08), COVID-19 hospitalization (OR, 1.21, 95 percent CI, 0.85–1.72), number of symptoms (least squares mean, 0.33, 95 percent CI, −0.20 to 0.85), and long COVID (OR, 1.18 , 95 percent CI, 0.88–1.58).

The findings may provide reassurance to cancer survivors that their diagnosis alone does not raise the risk of COVID-19. More studies are needed to determine physiologic mechanisms contributing to differences in infection risks among cancer survivors and prioritize the inclusion of underserved populations to identify strategies to address the impact of the infection, the researchers said.