Skip to main content
. 2020 Aug 18;29(4):1941–1950. doi: 10.1007/s00520-020-05684-7

Table 2.

Differences in COVID-19 symptoms and cancer and non-cancer treatments based on treatment status

Characteristic Total sample
n = 174
Not on current treatment
n = 126
72.4%
Receiving treatment
n = 48
27.6%
Statistics
% (n) % (n) % (n)
COVID-19 symptoms—During the past 14 days, have you had any of the following symptoms? (% yes)
Persistent fever (> 38 °C of 100.4 °F) for at least one day 9.2 (16) 12.0 (15) 2.1 (1) FE, p = 0.044
Chills 9.9 (17) 12.1 (15) 4.2 (2) FE, p = 0.158
Repeated shaking with chills 9.8 (17) 12.8 (16) 2.1 (1) FE, p = 0.043
Headache 30.6 (53) 32.8 (41) 25.0 (12) FE, p = 0.361
Muscle aches 33.5 (58) 32.0 (40) 37.5 (18) FE, p = 0.590
Cough 23.7 (41) 25.6 (32) 18.8 (9) FE, p = 0.426
Difficulty breathing 13.8 (24) 16.7 (21) 6.3 (3) FE, p = 0.088
Dizziness 20.2 (35) 21.6 (27) 16.7 (8) FE, p = 0.532
Sore throat 17.5 (30) 21.0 (26) 8.5 (4) FE, p = 0.071
Loss of sense of taste 11.6 (20) 13.7 (17) 6.3 (3) FE, p = 0.197
Loss of sense of smell 12.8 (22) 15.2 (19) 6.4 (3) FE, p = 0.198
Severe fatigue or tiredness 24.4 (42) 25.6 (32) 21.3 (10) FE, p = 0.691
Severe chest pain 9.8 (17) 12.8 (16) 2.1 (1) FE, p = 0.043
Difficulty finding the right words in a conversation 24.0 (41) 26.0 (32) 18.8 (9) FE, p = 0.426
Ringing in your ears 29.4 (50) 35.2 (43) 14.6 (7) FE, p = 0.009
Number of COVID-19 symptoms (mean, SD) 2.8 (3.8) 3.1 (4.2) 1.9 (2.6) U, p = 0.174
Median number of COVID-19 symptoms 2.0 2.0 1.0
COVID-19 testing
Have you been tested for COVID-19?
No 87.8 (152) 87.3 (110) 89.4 (42) Χ2 = 0.44, p = 0.804
Yes and tested negative 11.6 (20) 11.9 (15) 10.6 (5)
Yes and tested positive 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0)
Yes and prefer not to report my test results 0.6 (1) 0.8 (1) 0.0 (0)
Has anyone you live with been tested for COVID-19?
No 83.9 (146) 84.1 (106) 83.3 (40) Χ2 = 0.97, p = 0.616
Yes and tested negative 4.0 (7) 3.2 (4) 6.3 (3)
Yes and tested positive 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0)
Yes and prefer not to report my test results 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0)
I live alone 12.1 (21) 12.7 (16) 10.4 (5)
Clinical care—During the past 14 days, have you done any of the following activities? (% yes)
Called your primary care provider 20.3 (35) 22.4 (28) 14.9 (7) FE, p = 0.395
Seen your primary care provider in the clinic 6.4 (11) 4.9 (6) 10.4 (5) FE, p = 0.295
Had a video appointment with your primary care provider 12.1 (21) 11.1 (14) 14.9 (7) FE, p = 0.601
Called your oncologist 10.4 (18) 10.3 (13) 10.6 (5) FE, p = 1.000
Seen your oncologist in the clinic 6.9 (12) 4.0 (5) 14.6 (7) FE, p = 0.021
Had a video appointment with your oncologist 7.0 (12) 4.8 (6) 13.0 (6) FE, p = 0.088
Received supportive care (e.g., blood transfusion) 2.9 (5) 1.6 (2) 6.4 (3) FE, p = 0.128
Received treatment for symptoms (e.g., pain, nausea) 6.4 (11) 4.0 (5) 12.8 (6) FE, p = 0.072
Had a nurse visit your home 1.7 (3) 1.6 (2) 2.1 (1) FE, p = 1.000
Had an aid care for you in your home 1.2 (2) 0.8 (1) 2.1 (1) FE, p = 0.473
Been hospitalized for COVID-19 0.6 (1) 0.8 (1) 0.0 (0) FE, p = 1.000
Been hospitalized for cancer care 0.6 (1) 0.8 (1) 0.0 (0) FE, p = 1.000
Have you had medical insurance coverage during the last 14 days 97.7 (169) 96.8 (121) 100.0 (48) FE, p = 0.577

FE Fisher’s Exact test, SD standard deviation, U Mann-Whitney U test