Low numbers of COVID-19 in Swedish pediatric oncology patients during the first pandemic year despite an open society
Sundberg, Emil ; Georgantzi, Kleopatra ; Langenskiöld, Cecilia ; Król, Ladislav LU
; Nilsson, Frans
; Vogt, Hartmut
; Palle, Josefine
; Ek, Torben
and Nilsson, Anna
(2022)
In Pediatric Blood and Cancer
69(10).
- Abstract
Background: Sweden adopted a different strategy than many other countries to combat the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and kept most schools open. Initial reports from China suggested that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was milder in children compared to adults, but there was a lack of data from immunocompromised children. Therefore, we investigated the rate of verified SARS-CoV-2 infections in our Swedish pediatric oncology patients. Procedure: This was a multicenter retrospective study. A questionnaire including patient data as well as SARS-CoV-2 data was sent to the six Swedish childhood cancer centers in May 2021. Results: During the first pandemic year, 49 patients were identified as... (More)
Background: Sweden adopted a different strategy than many other countries to combat the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and kept most schools open. Initial reports from China suggested that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was milder in children compared to adults, but there was a lack of data from immunocompromised children. Therefore, we investigated the rate of verified SARS-CoV-2 infections in our Swedish pediatric oncology patients. Procedure: This was a multicenter retrospective study. A questionnaire including patient data as well as SARS-CoV-2 data was sent to the six Swedish childhood cancer centers in May 2021. Results: During the first pandemic year, 49 patients were identified as SARS-CoV-2 positive, and 22 (45%) children were hospitalized with COVID-19. Two children needed intensive care, but no COVID-19-related deaths were reported. Most patients (n = 36, 73%) were on active chemotherapy treatment and 23 children (49%) attended school or daycare at least part-time. Half of the SARS-CoV-2-positive patients experienced a delay in cancer treatment. Conclusions: Despite the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Sweden, without a strict lockdown of the society, the number of nationally reported pediatric oncology patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-verified infection was low, and the majority of children had mild disease. Our data show that treatment interruptions occurred frequently and this should clearly be avoided for the coming years.
(Less)
- author
- Sundberg, Emil
; Georgantzi, Kleopatra
; Langenskiöld, Cecilia
; Król, Ladislav
LU
; Nilsson, Frans
; Vogt, Hartmut
; Palle, Josefine
; Ek, Torben
and Nilsson, Anna
- publishing date
- 2022
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- COVID-19, hematology, oncology, pediatrics, SARS-CoV-2
- in
- Pediatric Blood and Cancer
- volume
- 69
- issue
- 10
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:35484955
- scopus:85129219220
- ISSN
- 1545-5009
- DOI
- 10.1002/pbc.29750
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- cfd0939a-d0d4-44b8-81ec-4e6d13b24ced
- date added to LUP
- 2022-08-15 12:33:12
- date last changed
- 2024-04-18 13:05:53
@article{cfd0939a-d0d4-44b8-81ec-4e6d13b24ced,
abstract = {{<p>Background: Sweden adopted a different strategy than many other countries to combat the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and kept most schools open. Initial reports from China suggested that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was milder in children compared to adults, but there was a lack of data from immunocompromised children. Therefore, we investigated the rate of verified SARS-CoV-2 infections in our Swedish pediatric oncology patients. Procedure: This was a multicenter retrospective study. A questionnaire including patient data as well as SARS-CoV-2 data was sent to the six Swedish childhood cancer centers in May 2021. Results: During the first pandemic year, 49 patients were identified as SARS-CoV-2 positive, and 22 (45%) children were hospitalized with COVID-19. Two children needed intensive care, but no COVID-19-related deaths were reported. Most patients (n = 36, 73%) were on active chemotherapy treatment and 23 children (49%) attended school or daycare at least part-time. Half of the SARS-CoV-2-positive patients experienced a delay in cancer treatment. Conclusions: Despite the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Sweden, without a strict lockdown of the society, the number of nationally reported pediatric oncology patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-verified infection was low, and the majority of children had mild disease. Our data show that treatment interruptions occurred frequently and this should clearly be avoided for the coming years.</p>}},
author = {{Sundberg, Emil and Georgantzi, Kleopatra and Langenskiöld, Cecilia and Król, Ladislav and Nilsson, Frans and Vogt, Hartmut and Palle, Josefine and Ek, Torben and Nilsson, Anna}},
issn = {{1545-5009}},
keywords = {{COVID-19; hematology; oncology; pediatrics; SARS-CoV-2}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{10}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Pediatric Blood and Cancer}},
title = {{Low numbers of COVID-19 in Swedish pediatric oncology patients during the first pandemic year despite an open society}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pbc.29750}},
doi = {{10.1002/pbc.29750}},
volume = {{69}},
year = {{2022}},
}