Publication date: Feb 11, 2025

Cancer and cancer treatments can weaken the body’s immune system, making cancer patients particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. While evidence suggests that cancer patients may be at increased risk for severe outcomes after COVID-19 infection, there is a lack of population-based studies comparing long COVID prevalence between cancer survivors and non-cancer individuals. We utilized data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), analyzing a sample of 120,658 U. S. adults who had tested positive for COVID-19. Long COVID was defined as the presence of COVID-19 symptoms lasting three months or longer. The weighted prevalence of long COVID was compared between cancer survivors and non-cancer individuals. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Multiple imputation was employed to address missing data on COVID-19 vaccination. Among 17,362 cancer survivors who tested positive for COVID-19, 4,009 reported having long COVID (weighted prevalence = 24. 0%), compared to a weighted prevalence of 21. 6% in non-cancer individuals (p < 0. 001). After controlling for covariates and accounting for the complex sampling design, the adjusted OR was 1. 17 (95% CI = 1. 06-1. 30, p = 0. 002). In participants under 45 years old, cancer survivors had a notably higher prevalence of long COVID compared to non-cancer individuals (32. 1% vs. 21. 3%, p < 0. 001), with an adjusted OR of 1. 33 (95% CI = 1. 07-1. 66, p = 0. 012). In participants aged 45 and above, the prevalence difference was not significant (22. 7% vs. 21. 9%, p = 0. 324), with an adjusted OR of 1. 14 (95% CI = 1. 02-1. 27, p = 0. 024). Regarding the association of COVID-19 vaccination with long COVID, four or more doses were linked to a significant reduced odds of long COVID among cancer survivors (adjusted OR=0. 55, 95%CI = 0. 34-0. 88, p = 0. 013). Cancer survivors are observed to have higher odds of developing long COVID, particularly younger survivors. The association of COVID-19 vaccination with long COVID varies between cancer survivors and non-cancer individuals, with cancer survivors requiring more doses to achieve significant reduction in the odds of long COVID.

Semantics

Original Article