Clinical and radiological features of COVID-19 infection in pediatric hematology-oncology and transplant patients

Abstract

Purpose: The goal of this study is to explain the characteristics of COVID-19 in this demographic, as well as the impact it had on pediatric cancer care during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: Fifteen COVID-19 patients diagnosed were studied retrospectively. Clinical, laboratory and radiological data were collected in relation to 15 patients under the age of 18 who tested positive for SarsCoV-2. Results: Of the 12117 pediatric hemato-oncological patients tested for COVID-19, 1125 patients showed symptoms, and 14 tested positive. The majority of cases suffered minor illnesses. A total of ten children required inpatient care, five needed oxygen support, and four required mechanical ventilation and later died. It was noted that the duration of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positivity was prolonged in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy and/or immunosuppressive therapy. Patients' chemotherapy was delayed in all 15 (100\%) Sars-CoV-2-positive patients. Although changes visible on chest computed tomography (CT) imaging of children were mainly milder than in adults, radiological findings were more severe in patients who received relatively intensive cancer treatment. Conclusion: Children who have been treated for cancer or who have undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may be at greater risk of severe COVID-19 and should be under constant observation.