Covid-19 And Cancer: Insights Into Their Association And Influence On Genetic And Epigenetic Landscape

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has created disaster globally, and mankind is yet to come in terms with combating this global menace. Amid this turmoil, immunocompromised individuals like cancer patients exhibit dismal immune responses toward such infection. In order to treat cancer patients during such adverse situations, it is necessary to understand the phenomena that interlink these two diseased states. Modulation of host epigenetic landscape is a key hallmark of both cancer and viral infections, including COVID-19. Our review aims to shed light upon the interplay between COVID-19 and cancer, primarily through the genetic and epigenetic modulations of the gene expression profile, so as to design better therapeutic strategies in the near future.

Keywords::

• cancer
• COVID-19
• epigenetics
• genetics
• immune response
• SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Conceived the idea: S Kumar, K Ganguly and M Ghosh. Wrote the manuscript: S Kumar, K Ganguly, S Tabassum, B Basu and M Ghosh. Preparation of figures: S Kumar. Revised and edited the manuscript: S Kumar, M Basu, P Ghosh and M Ghosh. All authors have read, agreed and approved the final draft of the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work is jointly supported by the Department of Science and Technology (NanoMission: DST/NM/NT/2018/105(G); SERB: EMR/2017/000992) and Focused Basic Research (FBR): #31-2(274)2020-21/Bud-II, HCT, CSIR, Government of India. The authors have no other 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 apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work is jointly supported by the Department of Science and Technology (NanoMission: DST/NM/NT/2018/105(G); SERB: EMR/2017/000992) and Focused Basic Research (FBR): #31-2(274)2020-21/Bud-II, HCT, CSIR, Government of India. The authors have no other 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 apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.