Effect of SARS-CoV-2 on clinical course and NK cells in patients receiving immunotherapy

Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has killed 430,000 people worldwide in the span of 6 months which overall place cancer patients at a higher risk of severe illness and death if infected, although differences between distinct therapy regimens are possible (e.g. chemotherapy vs. immunotherapy vs. palliation). Cancer patients who have recovered from COVID-19 may need to resume treatment, including immunotherapy for their disease even though the repercussions of this infection on their immune systems are unknown. This project will determine if cancer patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have NK cells with different functionality than cancer patients who were not infected, and whether these phenotypes have an impact on the overall response rate and survival of this population.