COVID19 in children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries: Experience from a cancer center in Chennai, India
Venkatraman Radhakrishnan, Jerin Ovett, Aruna Rajendran, Saikrishna Kolluru, Vishwajeeth Pai, Vijay Gnanaguru, Manikandan Dhanushkodi, Jayachandran Perumal Kalaiyarasi, Nikita Mehra, Gangothri Selvarajan, Arun Rajan, Parathan Karunakaran, Sivasree Kesana, Tenali Gnana Sagar
Abstract
Crowded outpatient clinics and common wards in many hospitals in low and middle-income countries predispose children, caregivers, and health care workers to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We report on the clinical features and outcomes of 15 children with cancer at our center who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Five out of 15 patients were symptomatic, and one patient required intensive care and respiratory support. All the patients in the study have recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 infection without any sequelae and have resumed their cancer treatment.