Cancer treatment in the coronavirus disease pandemic

Jia-Tao Zhang; Wen-Zhao Zhong; Yi-Long Wu

doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2020.12.012

Cancer treatment in the coronavirus disease pandemic

Lung Cancer. 2021 Feb:152:98-103. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2020.12.012. Epub 2020 Dec 14.

Authors

Jia-Tao Zhang¹, Wen-Zhao Zhong¹, Yi-Long Wu²

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, South China University of Technology & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Translational Medicine, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
² Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, South China University of Technology & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Translational Medicine, Guangzhou, 510080, China. Electronic address: syylwu@live.cn.

Abstract

Half a year after its emergence, severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a pandemic, with cases continuing to increase in nearly every country. Surges in coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) cases have clearly had profound effects on current cancer treatment paradigms. Considering the effect of antineoplastic treatment and the immunosuppressive properties of cancer itself, cancer patients are deemed to be more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. Hence, the specific risk of SARS-CoV-2 must be carefully weighed against the benefit of antineoplastic treatment for cancer patients in the COVID-19 era. In this review, we discuss the current evidence in this important field, and in particular, the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on antineoplastic treatment.

Keywords: Antineoplastic treatment; COVID-19; Cancer; Mortality.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
COVID-19*
Female
Humans
Male
Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Neoplasms / epidemiology
Neoplasms / virology*
Prevalence
SARS-CoV-2

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents