Resumen
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has increased morbidity and mortality in the general population. Patients with cancer have immune dysfunction due to the use of immunosuppressive agents, poor nutritional status, or the direct effects of the tumor on the reactivity of the immune system, making oncological patients more susceptible to severe disease and death. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated whether lung cancer increases the risk of severe COVID-19 and the risk of dying from the disease. We found that mortality in patients with lung cancer was significantly higher than that in control patients (HR = 2.00 [95%CI 1.52, 2.63], p < 0.01) or with other malignancies (HR = 1.91 [95%CI 1.53, 2.39], p < 0.01). In addition, we also observed a higher risk of severe infection in patients with lung cancer (HR = 1.47 [95%CI 1.06, 2.03], p = 0.02). We suggest that, in this setting, vaccine use may be considered a useful and mandatory measure to save lives.