COVID-19 cohort on children with cancer: delay in treatment and increased frequency of deaths

Abstract Objectives: to describe epidemiological characteristics and deaths in children with cancer and COVID-19 at a reference hospital in Recife, Brazil. Methods: cohort involving children under the age of 19 underwent cancer treatment during April to July 2020. During the pandemic, real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS -CoV-2) in nasal / oropharyngeal swab were collected in symptomatic patients or before hospitalization. Those with detectable results were included in this cohort study. The outcomes were delayed on cancer treatment and death. Descriptive analysis was performed and presented in preliminary results. Results: 48 children participated in the cohort, mostly with hematological neoplasms (66.6%.),69% were male, median age was 5.5 years. The most frequent symptoms were fever (58.3%) and coughing (27.7%);72.9% required hospitalization, 20% had support in ICU and 10.5% on invasive ventilatory assistance.66.6% of the patients had their oncological treatment postponed, 16.6% died within 60 days after confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusions: COVID-19 led a delay in the oncological treatment for children with cancer and a higher mortality frequency when compared to the historical series of the service. It would be important to analyze the risk factors to determine the survival impact. Resumo Objetivos: descrever características epidemiológicas e óbitos em crianças com câncer e a doença do novo coronavírus 2019 (COVID-19), em hospital de referência do nordeste brasileiro. Métodos: coorte envolvendo menores de 19 anos em tratamento de câncer, durante abril a julho de 2020. Pacientes sintomáticos ou antes de hospitalização foram submetidos a pesquisa do vírus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), por meio de reação em cadeia da polimerase com transcrição reversa em tempo real (RT-PCR), em swab naso/orofaríngeo. Foram incluídos aqueles com resultado detectável. Os desfechos foram atraso no tratamento oncológico e óbito. Realizada análise descritiva e apresentado os resultados preliminares. Resultados: 48 crianças, maioria com neoplasia hematológica (66,6%), sexo masculino (69%), mediana de idade 5,5 anos. os sintomas mais observados foram febre (58,3%) e tosse (27,7%); 72,9% necessitou internamento hospitalar, 20% suporte em unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI) e 10,5 % assistência ventilatória invasiva. O tratamento oncológico foi