Black gynecologic oncology patients with COVID-19 are more likely to require hospitalization and have a disproportionate rate of death, according to a study published in Cancer. Investigators abstracted data from gynecologic oncology patients with COVID-19 infection among eight New York City area hospital systems. COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality were analyzed using a multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression model. Overall, 34.7% and 65.3% of the 193 patients who had gynecologic cancer and COVID-19 were black and non-black, respectively. The researchers found that compared with non-blacks, black patients were more likely to require hospitalization (71.6% vs 46.0%). Overall, 41.2% of the 34 patients who died from COVID-19 were black. Among those who were hospitalized, black patients were significantly more likely than non-black patients to have three or more comorbidities (81.1% vs 59.2%); to reside in Brooklyn (81.0% vs 44.4%); to live with family (69.4% vs 41.6%); and to have public insurance (79.6% vs 53.4%). Among those younger than 65, black patients were more likely to need hospitalization compared with non-black patients in a multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 4.87). “COVID-19 infection outcomes experienced by black women highlight preexisting disparities and call for multifaceted attention to address these longstanding differences in health outcomes among patients with gynecologic cancer,” the authors write.
