COVID-19 in children with cancer: a review of case reports

• Main Authors: Muhd Helmi, Muhd Alwi, Taib, Fahisham, Nik Yusoff, Nik Khairulddin, Nasir, Ariffin, Mohamad, Norsarwany
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences 2020
• Subjects: RJ Pediatrics
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/88209/7/88209%20COVID-19%20in%20Children%20with%20Cancer.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/88209/; https://medic.upm.edu.my/upload/dokumen/20210129163109Complete_IHEC_2020.pdf
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Introduction: Immunosuppressed individuals and paediatric population are susceptible to infections. This case report depicts the presentation and severity of COVID-19 infection in a single case report of a Leukemic child on chemotherapy and compares the course of disease with previously reported case reports of immunocompromised children with COVID-19. Case presentation: We reported a 27-month-old boy, known case of B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in remission, which was infected with COVID-19. Our reported case was asymptomatic and recovered well without developing any complication related to COVID-19 infection despite being immunocompromised. A comparison made with published case reports of immunocompromised children with COVID-19 revealed variability in the presentations whereby most of the children were mildly affected. Other factors such as concomitant infection, the severity of immunosuppression, presence of other co-morbidities and infection by different virus subtypes may explain the variability in the severity of COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: Mild presentation of COVID-19 in immunocompromised children can be explained by the lack of overwhelming immune responses toward SARS-CoV-2 virus in an immunocompromised host. Clinicians, however, have to be vigilant as immunocompromised children can be severely affected by COVID-19. Further studies on the pathophysiology of COVID-19 infection in immunocompromised hosts and factors contributing to variability of presentations among patients with similar immune responses are required before a firm conclusion can be made