The potential for both COVID-19 and the flu to potentially reactivate dormant cancer cells and lead to the development of new tumors.
Respiratory infections, such as COVID-19 and the flu, may pose a significant risk to metastatic breast cancer survivors. A recent study using a mouse model of metastatic breast cancer with dormant cells in the lungs revealed that exposure to both influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 led to the development of cancerous lesions[1][2][3].
The study suggests that these infections could potentially reactivate dormant cancer cells, leading to cancer recurrence and new metastatic tumors. The reactivation is thought to be driven by inflammatory responses involving the immune protein interleukin-6 (IL-6), which awakens the dormant disseminated cancer cells (DCCs) and promotes their proliferation[1][2].
In humans, data collected before vaccines were available showed that cancer survivors who had contracted COVID-19 were almost 50 percent more likely to develop lung metastases, according to the US Flatiron Health Database[6]. Similarly, COVID-19 was found to almost double the risk of dying from cancer in patients who had had their initial cancer diagnosis at least five years prior, according to the UK Biobank data[7].
The team behind the study believes that drugs targeting IL-6 could help combat the risk of recurrence in cancer survivors who catch a respiratory infection[2]. Vaccination against these viruses is also recommended as a measure to potentially reduce the risk of cancer recurrence by preventing infections that might awaken dormant cancer cells[3][5].
Understanding why dormant cancer cells reawaken is key to finding new ways to prevent it. The mechanism discovered involves an immune protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6)[8]. This finding underscores the importance of infection prevention in cancer survivors[1][2][3][4][5].
As the winter virus season approaches, cancer survivors are advised to take precautions against respiratory viruses and discuss vaccination options with their healthcare providers[3][5]. The findings raise the question of whether there is a need to begin testing people in cancer remission during viral season to check whether any previously dormant cancer cells have begun to proliferate[9].
The study, published in Nature, focused on metastatic breast cancer, which often leaves traces in the lungs[10]. While definitive evidence is still emerging, the understanding of this interaction between infectious diseases and cancer biology could have far-reaching implications for other types of cancer as well.
References:
- Nature
- Cancer Discovery
- Cancer Research UK
- The Guardian
- Mayo Clinic
- Flatiron Health
- UK Biobank
- Nature
- Cancer Today
- Breastcancer.org
- Metastatic breast cancer survivors, especially those with dormant cells in the lungs, might face a significant risk from respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu, due to the potential reactivation of dormant cancer cells.
- The reactivation of these dormant cancer cells could lead to cancer recurrence and new metastatic tumors, driven by inflammatory responses involving the immune protein interleukin-6 (IL-6).
- Vaccination against respiratory viruses is recommended as a preventive measure for cancer survivors, as it could reduce the risk of cancer recurrence by averting infections that could awaken dormant cancer cells.
- The importance of infection prevention in cancer survivors is emphasized, as understanding why dormant cancer cells reawaken could lead to new ways to prevent it, according to a study published in Nature.
- As the winter virus season approaches, cancer survivors are advised to take precautions against respiratory viruses and discuss vaccination options with their healthcare providers, raising the question of whether periodic checks for cancer cell proliferation should be considered during viral seasons for people in cancer remission.
