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Cancers
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Lung Cancer & COVID 19: Lessons, Experiences, Startegies
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Lung Cancer & COVID 19: Lessons, Experiences, Startegies

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Agents and Cancer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 7222

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giulia M. Stella

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapeutics, University of Pavia Medical School, 27100 Pavia, Italy
2. Unit of Respiratory System Diseases, Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Department, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: thoracic cancers; personalized medicine; oncogenomics; metastatic process
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Torsten Gerriet Blum

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Helios Klinikum Emil von Behring, 14165 Berlin, Germany
Interests: thoracic oncology; lung cancer; interstitial lung diseases; diagnostics; biomarkers; screening; systemic therapies
Prof. Dr. Andrea Bianco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: metabolic perturbation of respiratory diseases; lung cancer immune evasion (mechanisms and therapy); tumor microenvironment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Cancer patients are highly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infections due to several causes, including their immunocompromised state due to antineoplastic therapies, use of steroids, comorbidities and frequently advanced age, and frequent hospital visits. The clinical pictures of the infection can vary from mild flu-like conditions to severe pneumonia, which can evolve to acute respiratory alveolar damage (ARDS) and multiorgan failure. Moreover, the cytokine storm is implicated in the generation of aberrant immunological responses against the virus, which ultimately produce lung parenchymal acute and severe damage responsible for evolution to chronic fibrosis and, in worse cases, patient death. This evidence has led to clinical approval of tocilizumab for the treatment of COVID-19-associated severe pneumonia rapidly evolving toward acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic forces clinicians and researchers to reflect on the already available data to generate novel models for cancer patient management, from diagnosis to treatment, as well as for adverse events and complications. The goal of the present issue is to summarize, according to a multidisciplinary perspective, the lessons and experiences derived from the pandemic waves and to design strategies for future co-existence with SARS-CoV-2 to ensure safer and better outcomes for cancer patients.

Dr. Giulia M Stella
Dr. Torsten Gerriet Blum
Prof. Dr. Andrea Bianco
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1396 KiB  
Article
Immune Response and Effects of COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients with Lung Cancer—COVID Lung Vaccine Study
by Ainhoa Hernandez, Marc Boigues, Eudald Felip, Marc Cucurull, Lucia Notario, Anna Pous, Pere Torres, Marta Benitez, Marina Rodriguez, Bibiana Quirant, Margarita Romeo, Daniel Fuster and Teresa Moran
Cancers 2023, 15(1), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15010137 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2768
Abstract
Lung cancer patients represent a subgroup of special vulnerability in whom the SARS-CoV-2 infection could attain higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, those patients were recommended to receive SARS-CoV-2 vaccines once they were approved. However, little was known at that time regarding [...] Read more.
Lung cancer patients represent a subgroup of special vulnerability in whom the SARS-CoV-2 infection could attain higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, those patients were recommended to receive SARS-CoV-2 vaccines once they were approved. However, little was known at that time regarding the degree of immunity developed after vaccination or vaccine-related adverse events, and more uncertainty involved the real need for a third dose. We sought to evaluate the immune response developed after vaccination, as well as the safety and efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in a cohort of patients with lung cancer. Patients were identified through the Oncology/Hematology Outpatient Vaccination Program. Anti-Spike IgG was measured before any vaccine and at 3–6-, 6–9- and 12–15-month time points after the 2nd dose. Detailed clinical data were also collected. In total, 126 patients with lung cancer participated and received at least one dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. At 3–6 months after 2nd dose, 99.1% of baseline seronegative patients seroconverted and anti-Spike IgG titers went from a median value of 9.45 to 720 UI/mL. At the 6–9-month time point, titers raised to a median value of 924 UI/mL, and at 12–15 months, after the boost dose, they reached a median value of 3064 UI/mL. Adverse events to the vaccine were mild, and no SARS- CoV-2 infection-related deaths were recorded. In this lung cancer cohort, COVID-19 vaccines were safe and effective irrespective of the systemic anticancer therapy. Most of the patients developed anti-Spike IgG after the second dose, and these titers were maintained over time with low infection and reinfection rates with a mild clinical course. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Cancer & COVID 19: Lessons, Experiences, Startegies)
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12 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
Dying with Cancer and COVID-19, with Special Reference to Lung Cancer: Frailty as a Risk Factor
by Peter Strang and Torbjörn Schultz
Cancers 2022, 14(23), 6002; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14236002 - 5 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1542
Abstract
Older age and frailty have been associated with COVID-19 deaths, but frailty has seldom been studied in the context of cancer. The aim of this paper was therefore to study frailty (measured using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score) and other risk factors in [...] Read more.
Older age and frailty have been associated with COVID-19 deaths, but frailty has seldom been studied in the context of cancer. The aim of this paper was therefore to study frailty (measured using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score) and other risk factors in patients who died with advanced cancer and a concomitant COVID-19 infection, with special reference to lung cancer. Of 4312 patients who died with cancer, 282 had concomitant COVID-19 (within the last 30 days), and these patients were significantly older, more often men, and residents of nursing homes. They often had less access to specialized palliative care, and they died more often in acute hospital settings. Patients with cancer who died with COVID-19 were more often frail (57% vs. 45%, p = 0.0002), and frailty was independently associated with COVID-19-related deaths, both in univariable and multivariable regression models, as well as when controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic factors on an area level, and comorbidity (measured using the Charlson Comorbidity Index). In the final multivariable model, where patients with cancer who died in nursing homes were excluded, belonging to the high-risk frailty group (OR 2.07 (1.31–3.27), p = 0.002) was the strongest prognostic variable in the model. In a separate analysis of a subgroup of deaths due to lung cancer (n = 653, of which 45 deaths occurred with concomitant COVID-19), the above associations were not significant, possibly due to too-few cases. In conclusion, frailty is a strong predictor of cancer deaths and should be addressed in cancer care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Cancer & COVID 19: Lessons, Experiences, Startegies)
14 pages, 1204 KiB  
Article
Clinical Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients Treated with Immunotherapy
by Haris Hatic, Kristine R. Hearld, Devika Das and Jessy Deshane
Cancers 2022, 14(23), 5954; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14235954 - 1 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2168
Abstract
Introduction: The full impact of COVID-19 infections on patients with cancer who are actively being treated with chemotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has not been fully defined. Our goal was to track clinical outcomes in this specific patient population. Methods: We performed [...] Read more.
Introduction: The full impact of COVID-19 infections on patients with cancer who are actively being treated with chemotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has not been fully defined. Our goal was to track clinical outcomes in this specific patient population. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 121 patients (age > 18 years) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from January 2020 to December 2021 with an advanced solid malignancy that were eligible to be treated with ICIs or on current therapy within 12 months of their COVID-19 diagnosis. Results: A total of 121 patients were examined in this study, and 61 (50.4%) received immunotherapy treatment within 12 months. One quarter of the patients on ICIs passed away, compared to 13% of the post-chemotherapy cohort. Patients who were vaccinated for COVID-19 had lower mortality compared to unvaccinated patients (X2 = 15.19, p < 0.001), and patients with lower ECOG (0.98) were associated with lower mortality compared to patients with worse functional status (0.98 vs. 1.52; t = 3.20; p < 0.01). Conclusions: COVID-19-related ICI mortality was higher compared to patients receiving chemotherapy. However, ICI cessation or delay is unwarranted as long there has been a risk–benefit assessment undertaken with the patient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lung Cancer & COVID 19: Lessons, Experiences, Startegies)
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