Abstract Background To permit timely mitigation of adverse effects on overall clinical outcome, it is essential to understand how the pandemic influences distress and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in cancer patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, adult cancer patients, without COVID‐19 symptoms, completed a 13‐item questionnaire about the pandemic’s impacts on distress and everyday‐life; associations with age, sex, or impaired HRQOL were then assessed by binary logistic regressions. In a subsample of patients with HRQOL assessment available from both before and during the pandemic, we evaluated the pandemic’s impact on longitudinal changes in HRQOL reported within 6 months before versus during the COVID‐19 lockdown using McNemar’s test, and thresholds for clinical importance. Results We consecutively enrolled 240 patients with solid (50%) or hematological (50%) cancers. Median age was 67 years, 46% were females. The majority ranked heeding their health (80%) and keeping their appointment schedule in hospital (78%) as important. Being younger than 60, or aged 60–70 was independently associated with limitations in everyday life (OR = 3.57, p < 0.001; and 2.05, p = 0.038); female individuals and those with restricted emotional functioning were more distressed by the COVID‐19 situation (OR = 2.47, p = 0.040; and 3.17, p = 0.019); the latter group was also significantly more concerned about being a patient at risk (OR = 2.21, p = 0.029). Interestingly, in a subsample of patients ( n = 47), longitudinal comparisons pre‐ versus during the pandemic revealed that HRQOL was not substantially affected by the pandemic. Conclusion Particularly younger and female cancer patients, and those with impaired emotional functioning are distressed by COVID‐19. During the first COVID‐19 lockdown, cancer patients remained predominantly resilient. This analysis highlights the need to mitigate distress situations in vulnerable patients and thereby enhance resilience during pandemics. In this cross‐sectional study of 240 cancer patients, the majority reported heeding their own health and wished to maintain their appointment schedule. We observed significantly more restrictions in younger and female patients. Comparing quality of life in the timespan before versus during the COVID‐19 pandemic revealed that quality of life was not substantially affected by the COVID‐19 crisis but indicated that cancer patients generally cope unexpectedly well with the pandemic, being already used to restrictions in their everyday life.
【저자키워드】 survey, corona virus disease 2019, Cancer patients, distress, Health related quality of life, emotional well‐being, 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Resilience, pandemic, lockdown, hospital, Sex, risk, COVID‐19, Clinical outcome, Health, cancers, comparison, Impact, female, Patient, Pandemics, age, Quality of life, threshold, questionnaire, association, Analysis, cancer patient, emotional, adverse effect, individual, Female patients, hematological, limitation, logistic regressions, being, females, mitigate, longitudinal change, highlight, ENhance, Result, enrolled, affected, significantly more, reported, indicated, remained, evaluated, majority, maintain, influence, COVID‐19 symptoms, timespan, vulnerable patient, 【제목키워드】 pandemic, Cancer, Perspective,