COVID 19: Clinical characteristics in cancer patients and chest X-ray findings

Abstract

Due to weakened immune system, the oncological patients are highly at risk with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to contribute with a supplement for the database on symptomatology and chest imaging appearance in patients infected with COVID-19. During the course of radiotherapy (RT), in four oncological patients we observed a variety of atypical clinical and laboratory expression: cough without fever, uroinfection with hematuria, gastrointestinal symptoms, leukopenia, which is difficult to associate with COVID-19 infection. In three out of seven patients, diffuse bilaterally ground glass opacities (GGO) are presented on the chest CT. In oncological patients infected with COVID-19, a less common symptomatology such as gastrointestinal discomfort, dry cough without fever, which is difficult to associate with this viral infection, are observed. The features of pneumonia are accompanied by leukopenia, lymphopenia and accelerated ESR. Hematuria, proteinuria, elevated transaminases and Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels are result of vasculitis which affects parenchymal organs like kidneys and liver. The radiological features of COVID-19 pneumonia are not specific. The ground glass opacities (GGO) are bilateral, asymmetrical, peripheral and subpleural in location, with predilection for the lower lobes. CT detection is very useful in time course of the disease with checking severity and prognosis of the disease.