COVID-19 and Cancer: Current Challenges and Perspectives

Abstract

Patients with cancer have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This effect has included the adverse outcomes in patients with cancer who develop COVID-19, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of cancer care, and the severe disruption to cancer research. However, patients with cancer are a heterogeneous population, and recent studies have now documented factors that allow risk stratification of patients with cancer in order to optimize care. In this review, we highlight data at the intersection of COVID-19 and cancer, including the biological interplay between the two diseases and practical recommendations for the treatment of patients with cancer during the pandemic. We additionally discuss the potential long-lasting impact of the pandemic on cancer care due to its deleterious effect on cancer research, as well as biological insights from the cancer research community that could help develop novel therapies for all patients with COVID-19.

Primary Brain Tumor Research Productivity in Southeast Asia and Its Association With Socioeconomic Determinants and Burden of Disease

“…The results of this study does not take into consideration the possible acute drop in GDP for SEA countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic may also increase deaths as a metric, as cancer patients are immunocompromised and are a vulnerable population ( 38 ). Nevertheless, we employed an exhaustive and systematic search of literature from medical electronic databases.…”

Time to SARS‐CoV‐2 clearance among patients with cancer and COVID‐19

“…COVID-19 has caused substantial global delays in cancer care, including delays in cancer screening as well as an anticipated increase in cancer-related deaths even among patients who did not develop COVID-19 infection. (11)(12)(13)(14) Optimization of precautions and clearance guidelines is therefore essential for improving the care of cancer patients both with and without COVID-19.…”

Utility of Preoperative Computed Tomography Scans for Coronavirus Disease in a Cancer Treatment Center

“…The COVID-19 prevalence was low in Tokyo, Japan, with a 1.9% PCR positivity rate as of June 2020. Patients with cancer are particularly vulnerable and have a high mortality rate ( Westblade et al., 2020 ); therefore, the nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a cancer center has been of particular concern ( Bakouny et al., 2020 ; Liang et al., 2020 ). To prevent transmission in the operating room by asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2, we have established routine COVID-19 screening with questionnaire and CT scans for all pre-admission patients scheduled for cancer surgery ( Fujiwara et al., 2020 ).…”