Management and outcome of EGFR mutant lung cancer with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract

The world and India, in particular, have been grappling with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic for more than a year now. The simultaneous presence of active COVID-19 infection with lung cancer poses both a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma, because of similar clinical, radiological features along with increased susceptibility to ICU admissions and death. We present the case of a metastatic EGFR mutant lung cancer patient who was started on Gefitinib during active COVID-19 infection. He had made a complete recovery from COVID-19 infection while achieving a partial response to therapy in terms of primary lung cancer. The case highlights the importance of active involvement of a medical oncologist in the care of all cancer patients with COVID-19 infection instead of the traditional holding of all therapy for cancer until COVID-19 recovery as suggested by the majority of guidelines.

Keywords: COVID-19; EGFR mutant lung cancer; tyrosine kinase inhibitors.