Respiratory Infections Awaken Dormant Breast Cancer Cells

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Utrecht University have found that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells in the lungs. This discovery was made by analyzing mouse models and two population studies, which showed that respiratory infections triggered the awakening of dormant cancer cells, leading to a massive expansion of metastatic cells. The researchers identified interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a key mediator in arousing dormant cancer cells from dormancy, suggesting that using IL-6 inhibitors or other targeted immunotherapies might prevent or lessen the resurgence of metastasis following viral infection.

Key Takeaways:

  • Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Utrecht University found that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells in the lungs.
  • The study, published in Nature, used mouse models to show that respiratory infections triggered the awakening of dormant cancer cells, leading to a massive expansion of metastatic cells within days of infection.
  • Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was identified as a key mediator in arousing dormant cancer cells from dormancy, suggesting that using IL-6 inhibitors or other targeted immunotherapies might prevent or lessen the resurgence of metastasis following viral infection.
  • The findings were supported by two population studies, one from the UK Biobank and the other from the U.S. Flatiron Health database, which showed that cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 faced an increased risk of dying from cancer compared to those who tested negative.
  • The study suggests that cancer survivors may be at increased risk of metastatic relapse after common respiratory viral infections and that understanding the underlying mechanisms will help develop interventions to limit this risk.

Statistics:

  • The study found that respiratory infections triggered the awakening of dormant cancer cells in the lungs, leading to a massive expansion of metastatic cells within days of infection.
  • The researchers identified 487 individuals with cancer who tested positive for COVID-19 and compared them to 4,350 matched controls who tested negative.
  • The study found that cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 faced an almost doubling of risk of dying from cancer compared to those patients with cancer who had tested negative.
  • In the U.S. Flatiron Health database, researchers found that patients who came down with COVID-19 were almost 50% more likely to experience metastatic progression to the lungs compared with patients with breast cancer without a diagnosis of COVID-19.
  • The study analyzed data from 36,216 COVID-19-negative patients and 532 COVID-19-positive patients.

Sources:

  • University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
  • Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Utrecht University
  • UK Biobank
  • U.S. Flatiron Health database
  • Nature