Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Oct;115(5):284-291.
doi: 10.32074/1591-951X-908.

COVID-19 and lung cancer

Laura Melocchi  1 , Maria Cecilia Mengoli  2 , Giuseppe Bogina  3 , Mattia Facchetti  4 , Federica Migliorati  1 , Laura Gandolfi  1 , Giulio Rossi  1
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19 and lung cancer

Laura Melocchi et al. Pathologica. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic had affected health services around the world, also reducing the diagnosis of lung cancer. On the other hand, examination of surgical specimens in patients with lung cancer and SARS-CoV-2 gave the opportunity to evidence early histologic features related to this emerging pandemic.

Different prioritization of health organizations during COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant decline of lung cancer screening (up to 56%), delayed diagnosis (up to 30-40%) and higher advanced stage, with some exceptions (i.e., Canada). Increased use of stereotactic radiation treatments in stage I-IIA have been noticed in better-organized health systems. Surgical specimens performed for lung cancer in patients with incipient SARS-CoV-2 permitted to appreciate early histologic findings of COVID-19 with hyperplastic pneumocytes with/without fibrin exudate, alveolar macrophages/myeloid cells, perivascular T-lymphocytic infiltrate and lack of hyaline membrane.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has declined the rate of lung cancer diagnosis worldwide, some institutions have significantly limited detrimental effects. Histology related to early SARS-CoV-2 infection in surgical samples for lung cancer revealed specific histologic changes.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; epidemiology; lung cancer; pathology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no competing interests in connection with this article.

References

    1. Zhou F, Yu T, Du R, et al. . Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 2020;395:1054-1062. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jazieh AR, Akbulut H, Curigliano G, et al. . Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Care: A Global Collaborative Study. JCO Glob. Oncol 2020;6:1428-1438. https://doi.org/10.1200/GO.20.00351 10.1200/GO.20.00351 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Patt D, Gordan L, Diaz M, et al. . Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care: How the Pandemic Is Delaying Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment for American Seniors. JCO Clin. Cancer Inform 2020;4:1059-1071. https://doi.org/10.1200/CCI.20.00134. 10.1200/CCI.20.00134 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Garassino MC, Whisenant JG, Huang LC, et al. . COVID-19 in patients with thoracic malignancies (TERAVOLT): First results of an international, registry-based, cohort study. Lancet Oncol 2020; 21914-922. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30314-4 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30314-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chilosi M, Poletti V, Ravaglia C, et al. . The Pathogenic Role of Epithelial and Endothelial Cells in Early-phase COVID-19 Pneumonia: victims and Partners in Crime. Mod Pathol 2021;34:1444-1455. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41379-021-00808-8 10.1038/s41379-021-00808-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed