Onkológia 3/2022

Oncologic diseases and COVID-19

COVID-19, (coronavirus disease 2019), a respiratory tract infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus named SARSCoV- 2, initially emerged in China in late 2019. As data on these risks have evolved, evidence has increasingly shown that patients with cancer are indeed a particularly vulnerable group. However, the effects of various confounding factors, including an older than average patient population who often have underlying comorbidities including a suppressed immune system and/or a hypercoagulable state, have been difficult to separate from the effects of having cancer. Furthermore, the radiographic dilemma of distinguishing between immune-checkpoint inhibitor-induced pneumonia from that caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection and conflicting data on the effects of certain therapies, such as steroids, on patient outcomes has left clinicians with considerable angst on how best to help patients presenting with acute or worsening symptoms. Predicted increase in cancer mortality does not take into account delays in discovery and progress as a result of cancer centres temporarily closing research laboratories and diverting resources to patient care and the fact that being willing to travel to a medical centre to receive treatment is imperative to both the delivery and improvement of patient care. The occurrence and development of cancer has always been an area of active research, and COVID-19 also has a long-lasting impact on the diagnosis, treatment, and research of cancer. Viral mutations might also occur during transmission and spread, leading to forecasts that SARS-CoV-2 will forever remain a looming threat to the oncology community. Many societies, including ESMO and ASCO, are providing clinical recommendations for the management of patients with cancer during this challenging time.

Keywords: COVID19, cancer, CRP, white blood cells, coagulation, fever, recomendation