Risk for Severe COVID-19 Elevated for Childhood Cancer Survivors

FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Childhood cancer survivors have a lower risk for registered COVID-19 infection but a higher risk for severe COVID-19, according to a study published online July 4 in The Lancet Regional Health: Europe.

Javier Louro, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined whether adult childhood cancer survivors had a higher risk for severe COVID-19 and registered COVID-19 infections than the general population in a Nordic register-based cohort study. Five-year childhood cancer survivors diagnosed before age 20 years in Denmark and Sweden were included in the study and were matched with randomly selected individuals from the general population on year of birth, sex, and country as well as with siblings of the survivors. A total of 13,659 cancer survivors, 58,803 matched comparators, and 17,531 siblings were included in the cohort.

The researchers found that the risk for registered COVID-19 infection was significantly lower for childhood cancer survivors compared with comparators (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.91), but the risk for severe COVID-19 was higher (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.58). During periods of widespread viral transmission, the elevated risk was particularly evident.

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

Abstract/Full Text