**UK COVID-19 Cancer Monitoring Project Update** [Watch the talk here][1] Prof Gary Middleton – Medical Oncologist, University of Birmingham [![UK COVID-19][2]](https://ukcoronaviruscancermonitoring.com/) The UK COVID-19 Cancer Monitoring Project is a live clinical data dissemination system for patients with cancer launched 18th March 2020 by Dr Leonard Lee and coordinated by the Centre for Computational Biology at the University of Birmingham. It provides healthcare professionals with weekly updates on COVID-19 cases among cancer patients. Data collected between 18th March and 26th April 2020 were published in The Lancet in August 2020. Senior author, Prof Gary Middleton summarised key findings from the data. These are especially important in light of the second wave ahead and answer a fundamental question: is it safe to proceed with anti-cancer therapies in the current climate? • Website launched where healthcare professionals can register to participate and weekly data summaries can be accessed: https://ukcoronaviruscancermonitoring.com/ • UK-wide cross-sectional observational study open at 68 Cancer Centres with 2,514 COVID-19 cases among patients with cancer (as of 13 Oct 2020) • Prospective cohort study run from 18th March-26th April 2020 on Covid-19 mortality in cancer patients on anti-cancer treatment ([Lee L et al. Lancet 2020; 395: 1919-26][3]) • Important features in the data regarding COVID-19 positive patients with cancer include: o 56.6% male, 43.1% female o Median age 72 years, with a third of patients aged 70 to 79 years o Most common comorbidity is hypertension (79.2% of patients) o Most common cancer type is lymphoid/haematological malignancy (21.8%), followed by digestive cancers (18.2%) and breast cancer (11.9%) o 50% of patients are being treated for metastatic cancer and 25% for a primary localised cancer o The commonest treatment within the last four weeks is chemotherapy, although patients receiving immunotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy or radiotherapy, or undergoing surgery are included • Death rate has been consistent at around 32% throughout the pandemic o Smoking was a significant risk factor for death o Death rate increases with age (6.8% if aged <40; 49.1% if aged ≥90) o White ethnicity was marginally protective (31.9%) in comparison with BAME ethnicity (35.2%) o Mortality was higher in ex- or current smokers and in patients with co-morbidities like hypertension • Multi-variable analysis showed that increased age, male sex and haematopoietic cancer patients (especially leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma) had an increased risk of severe or critical disease course and dying from Covid-19 infection • Study showed no evidence of increased risk of mortality of Covid-19 if solid cancer patients received chemotherapy 4 weeks before Covid-19 infection (26.4% mortality) or not (33.6% mortality). Similar finding for other anti-cancer therapy like immunotherapy. [1]: https://osf.io/c67nv/ [2]: https://mfr.de-1.osf.io/export?url=https://osf.io/jpkwd/?direct%26mode=render%26action=download%26public_file=False&initialWidth=758&childId=mfrIframe&parentTitle=OSF+%7C+UK+COVID-19+Cancer+Monitoring+Project.jpg&parentUrl=https://osf.io/jpkwd/&format=2400x2400.jpeg [3]: https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2820%2931173-9.pdf