COVID-19 and Cancer Comorbidity: Therapeutic Opportunities and Challenges

Theranostics. 2021 Jan 1;11(2):731-753. doi: 10.7150/thno.51471. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that affects the respiratory system of infected individuals. COVID-19 spreads between humans through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The COVID-19 outbreak originated in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. As of 29 Sept 2020, over 235 countries, areas or territories across the globe reported a total of 33,441,919 confirmed cases, and 1,003,497 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19. Individuals of all ages are at risk for infection, but in most cases disease severity is associated with age and pre-existing diseases that compromise immunity, like cancer. Numerous reports suggest that people with cancer can be at higher risk of severe illness and related deaths from COVID-19. Therefore, managing cancer care under this pandemic is challenging and requires a collaborative multidisciplinary approach for optimal care of cancer patients in hospital settings. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients, their care, and treatment. Further, this review covers the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, genome characterization, COVID-19 pathophysiology, and associated signaling pathways in cancer, and the choice of anticancer agents as repurposed drugs for treating COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; cancer; comorbidity; coronaviruses; inflammation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology
  • COVID-19 / immunology
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
  • Comorbidity
  • Drug Repositioning
  • Genome, Viral / genetics
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Pandemics / prevention & control
  • SARS-CoV-2 / genetics*
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Signal Transduction / immunology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents