Adults who survived childhood cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19: Study

”It is important to understand that even though these individuals were not infected more often, the consequences were more serious when they did become ill,” says Javier Louro, postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and first author of the study.

The differences in risk were particularly clear during periods of high transmission, such as when new virus variants such as Alpha and Omicron spread rapidly. In Sweden, where pandemic management was based more on recommendations than restrictions, the increase in risk was greater than in Denmark, which introduced early and strict measures.

”Our results suggest that childhood cancer survivors should be considered a risk group in future pandemics or other health crises. This could involve prioritising them for vaccination or offering special protection during periods of high transmission,” says Javier Louro.

Reference:

Louro, Javier et al., COVID-19 infection and severity among childhood cancer survivors in Denmark and Sweden: a register-based cohort study with matched population and sibling comparisons, The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, DOI:10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101363.