Confirmed COVID-19 Impact on Pediatric Cancer Patients: Prevalence and Outcomes Report from a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Indonesia

Introduction:Pediatric cancer still has a high mortality rate.The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has further widened the disparity in outcomes between developing and developed countries.Limited data exist on the prevalence and consequences of pediatric cancer with confirmed COVID-19 in developing countries.This study aims to determine the prevalence and outcomes of these patients and identify influencing factors to optimize cancer outcomes.Methodology: This prognostic study employed a retrospective cohort design at a tertiary referral hospital in Indonesia, using medical record data.Subjects included pediatric cancer patients aged 0-18 years with confirmed COVID-19 treated at the COVID-19 Center -dr.Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital from March 2020 to June 2023.Descriptive data on prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes were collected, along with analysis of the relationship between cancer type, treatment phase, and COVID-19 severity.Results: Among 585 pediatric cancer patients treated, 110 (18.8%) were confirmed COVID-19 based on SARS-COV-2 PCR.The majority were aged 0-5 years (40%), boys (50,9%), diagnosed with blood cancer (50,9%), and undergoing radio-chemotherapy (89,1%).Fever was the most prevalent symptom (78.2%) with 54.6% experiencing mild COVID-19.Management included oxygen therapy (30%) with ventilator use (8.2%) and intensive care (12.7%), antiviral (69.1%), antibiotic (80.9%), anti-inflammatory (15.5%), and anticoagulant (23.6%).The mortality rate was 19,1% and the highest number of deaths occurred within 14 days of hospitalization.