The interaction between cancer and COVID-19 - Risk factors and targeted interventions

Sep 23, 2026

Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable, and hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic increases the likelihood of severe complications and death. A cross-sectional study analyzed factors linked to severity and mortality among hospitalized cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between 2020 and 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Using bivariate and multivariate regression plus interaction analysis, results assessed comorbidity, hematological neoplasms, age, multimorbidity, vaccination timing, and mechanical ventilation associations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Materials and Methods

Findings

Interpretation

Introduction

OPEN ACCESS Citation: Viana L da S, Chung Filho AA, Monteiro GTR, Sobral A (2025) The interaction between cancer and COVID-19: Risk factors and targeted interventions. PLoS One 20(6): e0319970. [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal). pone.0319970 Editor: Eleni Magira, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GREECE Received: August 22, 2024 Accepted: February 12, 2025 Published: June 3, 2025 Peer Review History: PLOS recognizes the benefits of transparency in the peer review process; therefore, we enable the publication of all of the content of peer review and author responses alongside final, published articles. The editorial history of this article is available here: [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal). pone.0319970 Copyright: © 2025 da Silva Viana et al. This isan open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, RESEARCH ARTICLE The interaction between cancer and COVID-19: Risk factors and targeted interventions Lucian da Silva Viana1*, Alython Araujo Chung Filho2, Gina Torres Rego Monteiro1, Andrea Sobral1 1 Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2 Research Center, National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * [lucianviana@yahoo.com.br](lucianviana@yahoo.com.br) Abstract Background Cancer patients are particularly fragile, and hospitalization represents a significant additional risk for complications and death, especially given the vulnerability of this group during the global pandemic. The study objective entails analyzing the factors associated with severity and death of cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 hospitalized between 2020 and 2022, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Materials and Methods This is a cross-sectional study, with hospitalized patients with both diagnoses, cancer and COVID-19, through two national databases. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed, followed by an interaction analysis between the variables of interest in the multivariate regression. Findings A total of 1,336 cases were analyzed. Have comorbidity and hematological neoplasms were associated with mechanical ventilation (OR = 1.62 and OR = 2. 14, respectively) and with ICU admission (OR = 1.44 and OR = 2.25, respectively) . The age group of 60 years or older (OR = 1.33), have multimorbidity (OR = 1.38), and use mechanic ventilation (OR = 2.39) were associated with a higher risk of death from COVID-19 . The multimorbidity had a synergistic effect with hospitalization before vaccination (AP = 0.29; 95%CI = 0.01 – 0.58) and the use of mechanical ventilation (AP = 0.54; 95%CI = 0.18 – 0.98) . PLOS One | [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319970](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319970) June 3, 2025 1 / 15 provided the original author and source are credited. Data availability statement: There are ethical restrictions which prevent the sharing of minimal data for this study. The data contain potentially identifiable patient information, and must be requested from the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) of the Municipal Health Department of Rio de Janeiro-SMS/ RJ through an addendum to the project“Prediction of severity and death due to COVID-19 in cancer patients hospitalized in Rio de Janeiro, between 2020-2022: approach using machine learning”(opinion: 5,837,088) . Data are available upon request from the CEPSMS/RJ through their website ([https://saude](https://saude). [prefeitura.rio/comite-de-etica-em-pesquisa](prefeitura.rio/comite-de-etica-em-pesquisa)), or by contacting them via telephone (+55(21) 2215-1485) or email ([cepsmsrj@yahoo.com](cepsmsrj@yahoo.com). br; [cepsms@rio.rj.gov.br](cepsms@rio.rj.gov.br)), for researchers who meet the criteria for access to confidential data. Funding: This work was

FAQs

What was the study objective regarding cancer and COVID-19 patients?

To analyze factors associated with severity and death in cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were hospitalized from 2020 to 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

What study design and analysis methods were used?

A cross-sectional study using two national databases, with bivariate and multivariate regression and an interaction analysis within the multivariate model.

Which factors were associated with mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and death?

Comorbidity and hematological neoplasms were linked to mechanical ventilation and ICU admission, while older age (≥60), multimorbidity, and mechanical ventilation were associated with higher COVID-19 death risk.

Sep 23, 2026

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