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Review
. 2023 Mar 9;11(3):713.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11030713.

Should We Expect an Increase in the Number of Cancer Cases in People with Long COVID?

Ana Amiama-Roig  1 , Laura Pérez-Martínez  1 , Pilar Rodríguez Ledo  2 , Eva M Verdugo-Sivianes  3   4 , José-Ramón Blanco  1   5
Affiliations
Review

Should We Expect an Increase in the Number of Cancer Cases in People with Long COVID?

Ana Amiama-Roig et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

The relationship between viral infections and the risk of developing cancer is well known. Multiple mechanisms participate in and determine this process. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in the deaths of millions of people worldwide. Although the effects of COVID-19 are limited for most people, a large number of people continue to show symptoms for a long period of time (long COVID). Several studies have suggested that cancer could also be a potential long-term complication of the virus; however, the causes of this risk are not yet well understood. In this review, we investigated arguments that could support or reject this possibility.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; cancer; immunosuppression; inflammation; senescence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Potential oncogenic mechanisms observed in SARS-CoV-2 infection. DDR = DNA damage response; Rb = retinoblastoma protein; SASP = senescence-associated secretory phenotype.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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