COVID-19 and Lung Cancer Interactions: A Literature Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Immunology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare systems globally.
• This led to a
• diagnostic deficit
• impacting cancer detection and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the apparent reduction in lung cancer incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To investigate if this decline is solely a diagnostic artifact or if SARS-CoV-2 influences lung carcinogenesis.
• To synthesize evidence from population trends, viral biology, and cancer immunology.

Main Methods:

• Review of global cancer registry and health system data.
• Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection biology and lung cancer pathogenesis.
• Examination of immune checkpoints, immune dysregulation in acute and long COVID, and proposed oncogenic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2.

Main Results:

• The
• diagnostic deficit
• was a significant reality during and post-pandemic.
• A shift towards late-stage lung cancer diagnoses was observed.
• The impact of SARS-CoV-2 on lung cancer biology as an independent factor remains speculative.

Conclusions:

• The pandemic-induced
• diagnostic deficit
• affected lung cancer incidence reporting.
• Further research is needed to understand potential direct biological links between SARS-CoV-2 and lung cancer.
• Current clinical investigations do not fully capture the complex interplay between viral infection and oncogenesis.