Novel therapeutic drug strategies to tackle immune-oncological challenges faced by cancer patients during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Introduction

For the clinical treatment of cancer patients, coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) can cause serious immune-related problems. Cancer patients, who experience immunosuppression due to the pathogenesis and severity of disease, may become more aggressive due to multiple factors such as age, comorbidities, and immunosuppression. In this pandemic era, COVID-19 causes lymphopenia, cancer cell awakening, inflammatory diseases, and a cytokine storm that worsens disease-related morbidity and prognosis.

Areas covered

We discuss all the risk factors of COVID-19 associated with cancer patients and propose new strategies to use antiviral and anticancer drugs for therapeutic purposes. We bring new drugs, cancers and COVID-19 treatment strategies together to address the immune system challenges faced by oncologists.

Expert opinion

The chronic inflammatory microenvironment caused by COVID-19 awakens dormant cancer cells through inflammation and autoimmune activation. Drug-related strategies to ensure that clinical treatment can reduce the susceptibility of cancer patients to COVID-19, and possible counter-measures to minimize the harm caused by the COVID-19 have been outlined. The response to the pandemic and recovery has been elaborated, which can provide information for long-term cancer treatment and speed up the optimization process.

KEYWORDS:

• Cancer
• COVID-19
• clinical management
• anti-viral
• anti-cancer
• COVID-19 vaccination

Article highlights

• Cancer patients are being immunosuppressed due to the pathogenesis and severity of disease.

• COVID-19 is responsible for lymphopenia, awakening of cancer cells, inflammatory disease and cytokines storm.

• The susceptibility of cancer patient to COVID-19 may be reduced by clinical management and drug-related strategies.

• Several drugs are known for their potential anti-cancer effects, and may have dual therapeutic effects on cancer and COVID-19.

• Cardiac glycosides commonly used to strengthen the innate immune system can be potential drugs against COVID-19 and cancer.

• The vaccine can save the lives of cancer patients, who are at higher risk of significant disease and because of COVID-19 than the overall population.

Acknowledgments

We are very thankful to the Hunan Provincial Key Research and Development Program, China for their financial support.

Declaration of interest

The author(s) have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Hunan Provincial Key Research and Development Program, China under grant [2018SK2065].