Medical experts have assumed that cancer patients are an at-risk group for COVID-19, but a first-of-its-kind study finds that these patients do not get infected any more than the general population and do not suffer from more severe disease symptoms.
The findings showed that cancer treatments may even protect patients.
Even though there was no prior scientific basis, cancer patients were defined as an at-risk group, which had far-reaching implications for their treatment. Patients were afraid to seek treatment for fear of contracting the coronavirus in hospitals, and in some countries, guidelines were issued for postponing oncology treatments in certain situations.
The study that was conducted at the Rambam Medical Center between March and June 2020 included 164 cancer patients and 107 healthy employees. All underwent blood tests, at three different times, to examine changes in their immune systems.
Dr. Ben Aharon, a researcher and head of the Oncology Department at the Rambam Health Care Campus, said anticancer treatments may change the profile of the immune system and its function, which may limit the ability of the coronavirus to induce severe inflammation in patients receiving treatments.
A fellow researcher, Yuval Shaked, head of the Technion Integrated Cancer Center in the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, weighed in, saying the hypothesis is that the different response of cancer patients to the disease is related to the fact that anticancer treatment changes the profile of the immune system.
“The myeloid cells, which are vital cells in the immune system, are severely damaged by the coronavirus,” Shaked said. “In the general population and in the medical staff that participated in the study, the virus reduces the rate of myeloid cells by about 90%; in cancer patients, however, it reduces them by only 50%. This fact gives cancer patients relative protection.”
Source: Newswise Sept. 17, 2020