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Cancer Patients Have a Higher Risk Regarding COVID-19 - and Vice Versa?

ABSTRACT: The world is currently suffering from a pandemic which has claimed the lives of over 230,000 people to date. The responsible virus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is mainly characterized by fever, cough and shortness of breath. In severe cases, the disease can lead to respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock, which are mostly fatal for the patient. The severity of disease progression was hypothesized to be related to an overshooting immune response and was correlated with age and comorbidities, including cancer. A lot of research has lately been focused on the pathogenesis and acute consequences of COVID-19. However, the possibility of long-term consequences caused by viral infections which has been shown for other viruses are not to be neglected. In this regard, this opinion discusses the interplay of SARS-CoV-2 infection and cancer with special focus on the inflammatory immune response and tissue damage caused by infection. We summarize the available literature on COVID-19 suggesting an increased risk for severe disease progression in cancer patients, and we discuss the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 could contribute to cancer development. We offer lines of thought to provide ideas for urgently needed studies on the potential long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SUBMITTER: Geisslinger F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7408191 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cancer Patients Have a Higher Risk Regarding COVID-19 - and Vice Versa?

Geisslinger Franz F Vollmar Angelika M AM Bartel Karin K

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) 20200706 7

The world is currently suffering from a pandemic which has claimed the lives of over 230,000 people to date. The responsible virus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is mainly characterized by fever, cough and shortness of breath. In severe cases, the disease can lead to respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock, which are mostly fatal for the patient. The severity of disease progression was hypoth ...[more]

PMID: 32640723

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Project description:BackgroundCirculating tumor cells (CTC) in the peripheral blood in women with breast cancer has been found to be an indicator of prognosis before the start of systemic treatment. The aim of this study is the assessment of specific cytokine profiles as markers for CTC involvement that could act as independent prognostic markers in terms of survival outcome for breast cancer patients.MethodsPatients selected for this study were defined as women with breast cancer of the SUCCESS study. A total of 200 patients' sera were included in this study, 100 patients being positive for circulating tumor cells (CTC) and 100 patients being CTC negative. The matching criteria were histo-pathological grading, lymph node metastasis, hormone receptor status, TNM classification, and patient survival. Commercial ELISA with a multi cytokine/chemokine array was used to screen the sera for Interleukin 15 (IL-15) and eotaxin.ResultsStatistically significant concentrations were exposed for IL-15 levels regardless of the CTC-Status, lymph node involvement, or hormone receptor status. Significantly enhanced serum IL-15 concentrations were observed in those patients with worse overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Elevated serum concentrations of IL-15 significantly correlate with patients diagnosed with Grade 3 tumor and worse OS. In contrast, patients with a Grade 3 tumor with a favourable OS and DFS demonstrated significantly decreased IL-15 values. The CTC negative patient subgroup with a favourable OS and DFS, showed statistically significant elevated eotaxin values.ConclusionThese findings suggest a potential functional interaction of increased IL-15 concentrations in the peripheral blood of patients with a worse OS and DFS, regardless of prognostic factors at primary diagnosis. The increased levels of the chemokine eotaxin in CTC negative patients and a favourable OS and DFS, on the other hand, suggest that the overexpression inhibits CTCs entering the peripheral blood, thus emphasizing a significant inhibition of circulation specific metastasis. To sum up, IL-15 could be used as an independent prognostic marker in terms of survival outcome for breast cancer patients and used as an early indicator to highlight high-risk patients and consequently the adjustment of cancer therapy strategies.

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Cancer Patients Have a Higher Risk Regarding COVID-19 - and Vice Versa?

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Cancer Patients Have a Higher Risk Regarding COVID-19 - and Vice Versa?

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