2024, Vol. 6, Issue 3, Part A

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) poses an unprecedented challenge to health and epidemic prevention system, especially the healthcare of patients with cancer. We sought to study the impact of COVID-19 on lung cancer patients in our center.

Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential increased risk of pulmonary malignancy in individuals who have experienced multiple COVID-19 infections, with a particular focus on cases complicated by pleural effusion.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Department of Respiratory Medicine in Khulna Medical College and Hospital, Khulna, Bangladesh. A total of 122 patients with respiratory symptoms were enrolled and analyzed. Study time was January 2022 to December 2022.

Result: Among those experiencing their first COVID-19 attack, 32.00% had malignancies. For those with a second attack, the proportion with malignancies increased dramatically to 71.43%, whereas all individuals experiencing a third COVID-19 attack had malignancies. A minority of the patients, 17.65% (6 individuals), had COPD, while a significant majority, 82.35% (28 individuals), suffered from non-COPD lung diseases. Other comorbidities included obesity (5.88%), hypertension (29.41%), congestive heart failure (20.59%), and diabetes mellitus (17.65%).

Conclusion: Although pleural effusion was uncommon in patients with COVID-19, patients with pleural effusion might have severe inflammation and a poor prognosis. We proposed that pleural effusion should be used as a potential predictor for the progression to severe or critical condition in COVID-19 patients.