Abstract:
Since December 2019, there has been an outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a respiratory disorder caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease has spread worldwide at an alarming rate, leading the World Health Organization to declare COVID-19 a pandemic and public health emergency. The global population is now generally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2; however, patients with cancer are among the populations considered to be highly vulnerable to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and the development of more severe SARS-CoV-2 symptoms. This vulnerability is possibly because of the systemic immunosuppressive state caused by tumor growth and its effects on anticancer treatment. The performance, prognosis, and treatment outcomes of the cytokine storm after SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunosuppression in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with cancer remain unclear. Based on existing literature, this study aimed to determine the biological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on patients with cancer and assess the effect on survival outcomes and prognosis, in order to provide reference for the clinical treatment of tumor patients during the epidemic.